Erised the Looking Glass

Chapters

A Two-way Mirror
An Evening in Wonderland – Part 2
Cracks in the Glass
A Polished Life
Under a Detective's Lens
Broken Loyalties – Part 1
Broken Loyalties – Part 2
A Warped World
Self Reflection
An Evening in Wonderland – Part 1

A Two-way Mirror

Twilight glanced up at the clock on the wall to discover that another half an hour had passed. She groaned and looked back down at the page. It was the first page of the fourth chapter; she had read the other three already over the week. But as she reread the first two paragraphs again, young Twilight nearly pulled out her mane in frustration.

So she closed her copy of Introductions to Alchemy, Volume 1 and set it aside, leaning over the little desk to rub her temples with her hooves.

“I'm smarter than this,” she whimpered, closing her eyes to block out the dull blue light of the magical Illumination Stones hanging from the walls. She really should have asked for a room with a window, but the fact that Celestia had allowed her to rent out a room at the castle at all, albeit a room smaller than a broom closet, was more than Twilight could have asked for already.

Twilight sighed and pushed herself away from the desk. It was an old piece, and, like the bed and dresser they had somehow shoved through the door, was taken out of storage when the room was first set up for her. It was still a little too tall for her without the use of a stool.

Granted, a filly her age wouldn't normally be reading a book on alchemy, but she was only staying there for two weeks as part of her summer vacation and it would be a crime not to take advantage of the castle library while it was at her disposal. Yet her time was half up and she had expected to be at least halfway done with the first volume by now. Princess Celestia would be back from her trip the day after tomorrow, and then she'd see firsthoof how little progress Twilight had made in her studies.

Twilight carefully lowered herself to the floor, searching for a place to land her hoof that wasn't already occupied by books and scrolls. Speaking of which, she hadn't finished learning that scroll-sorting spell she'd wanted to use. Where were her notes on that again? Oh right, up on the desk. She'd get back to that later.

Maybe a walk will help clear my head, she decided, sifting her way through the mess towards the door. As soon as she was out of the room, the Illumination Stones turned off to preserve their magic, and for a while she could close the door on her studies.

An aimless ramble up and down the halls gave Twilight the time she needed to clear her mind. She stuck to the outer corridors of the castle, letting the natural midday sunlight that streamed through the windows illuminate the halls for her. But no sooner were her thoughts off of her book than she remembered her unfinished report on Shearmare's famous “march to the sea”. She still needed to find one more source before it was up to her standard.

Shearmare used a “scorched earth” policy, she thought, having the unicorns under her command literally burn the land in her wake. Who was it that said that? Underwood? No. Groove Moss? Was it Moss? How can I not remember who said that?! It had to be Moss. No. No, it wasn't her. Oh, Celestia is going to kill me.

Twilight stopped and let out a primal howl in frustration. Feeling no better than before, she turned around to return to her room, and realized that this wasn't the hallway she thought she was in. There were no windows along these halls, merely the blue Illumination Stones that ran all day to give the minimal light a pony needed to see. How could she have not noticed the change in lighting? When did she veer off course? Twilight's ears drooped as she realized she truly had no idea where she was.

“Well, that's no problem,” she told herself, feeling optimistic, “I can't have gone far. I'll just retrace my steps. I'll be back before I know it, and then right back to work.” Far from being comforting, the thought alone seemed to drain her of her remaining energy.

Few ponies ever saw this part of the castle; back hallways like this were generally off-limits to guests and used strictly by the staff. Twilight was no stranger to the staff members after her time at the castle, and she knew they'd help her if they ran into her. Not that she needed help – she wasn't lost, just a little turned around.

But the hallway ended in a T, giving her no option but to turn. Twilight looked left, and then right, but as hard as she peered neither hallway suggested they ended by returning to the familiar day-lit corridors. She can't have wandered this far off her path without noticing it, right? Maybe she turned the wrong way? No! She couldn't start doubting herself now. She took the left fork, almost certain that she had taken more right turns coming that way.

Couldn't doubt herself… that seemed to be all Twilight found herself saying nowadays. That and “work harder”, but they weren't mutually exclusive. She knew that she had what it took to earn the Princess' approval, she just wished she didn't have to live with her nose against the grindstone. As she walked, Twilight began grinding her teeth at the thought of what Celestia would say when she got back, at the disappointment in her voice, how the Princess would dismiss her from private tutoring, probably kick her out of school for being a below-average student…

*Creeeeeak*

Twilight jumped and came to a complete standstill. With a twinge of fear already settled in her heart, she slowly turned around to glance down the hallway. All was as before, except that one of the doors was wide open, exposing a gaping black maw of a doorway leading into the unknown.

Her mouth was dry. Twilight began backing away from the door, not sure what she expected. It was just an unlocked door that hadn't been closed all the way. So why was her stomach turning? Her ears twitched, but could detect no sound. Everything was fine. She should turn around and keep walking.

After a moment, Twilight moved one hoof closer to the doorway. And then she took another step. Biting her lip, she cautiously walked up to the hole and peeked inside.

"H-hello?” she whispered. There was no answer. Obviously. It was just an unlocked closet.

Why had she been surprised when nopony answered?

“Is anypony there?” she asked with a bit more confidence, “I don't want to lock the door on you.” Silence remained her only companion. “Okay, if nopony is in there…” Twilight rested her hoof on the door, fully intending to close it and move on.

By now her eyes had adjusted a bit more to the darkness of the room. It looked nearly empty save for a few boxes lining the walls; for a disused closet it was nearly double the size of her room. There was some tall object taking up space in the center that seemed… off, like it didn't belong there. It had to be at least as tall as Celestia herself. She couldn't tell what it was, but near the bottom corner it seemed to give off a soft glint.

“This is your last chance to get out,” she said. But now that she was positive there was nopony else there, she couldn't imagine who she was addressing. She'd have felt positively silly if she wasn't so sure she was being watched.

Slowly, she lowered her hoof from the doorframe and turned around. Levitating down the Illumination Stone from the wall was easy, though it was pretty warm from the magic it radiated. She entered the room boldly, letting the stone cast its dull blue glow around as far around her as possible. She walked forward until the object itself entered her little circle of light.

Whatever it was, somepony had draped a large tarp over it. Setting the stone down beside her, Twilight grabbed the fabric in her magic, giving only a moment's hesitation before tugging at it with all her might. It slid down easily, landing at her hooves with a plop.

The frame of the mirror was made of some kind of dark wood. It must have been several hundred years old, because the color was faded and it was beginning to splinter. A small spire stuck out from the top on either side of the triangle that marked the top of the frame. The glass ended in a pointed arc, scrawled above the edge of which was writing in a language Twilight couldn't recognize.

All this would have been interesting had Twilight been able to ignore what was right in front of her. Despite the age of the frame, the glass itself was clear and unmarked, like a freshly cleaned window. Her reflection stood there, wearing the same confused expression she was, as well as a small silver brace around her neck and a set of silver boots. If she had a crown, she'd be wearing an official princess outfit.

“What is all this?” her reflection asked.

Twilight jumped, and the filly in the mirror reeled back in shock. Both had eyes the size of saucers.

“Y-you can talk?” Twilight asked, pointing a hoof at the mirror. Instead of mimicking her like a good reflection should, the Twilight on the other side of the mirror covered her mouth with her own hoof, as though to assure herself she had not asked the question out loud without realizing it.

Twilight ventured further. “What are you?” she asked, taking a step closer to the mirror. It really did look like a window pane, she realized. A very thin one. And when her double had spoken, it was as if they were in the same room; her voice was not dimmed in the slightest by the glass separating them.

The other filly lowered her hoof and leaned in a bit, now just as curious. For a moment neither of them said anything, and Twilight allowed herself to examine the world through the mirror a bit. It seemed just as dark on that side, and the other her even had the same Illumination Stone that Twilight took off the wall. A small tarp was huddled at the double's hooves as well.

She went on to examine the ornaments her duplicate wore. The brace was silver, with a small amethyst like Princess Celestia had in hers. The boots looked pegasus-made, like Celestia's own. Twilight remembered being younger and, one time when Celestia took her boots off to go barehoof, trying those boots on. Aside from just being too big for her, they were very slippery, since they weren't designed to be worn on the ground. She had always wondered how Celestia learned to walk in them.

She had almost forgotten about the question she asked when her doppelganger answered.

“I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“Princess Twilight?” Twilight repeated in disbelief. She laughed, “That's ridiculous. I'm not a princess!”

“That's because you're my reflection,” Princess Twilight told her.

Twilight snorted. “You're the one in the mirror,” she pointed out.

The princess gave her a quizzical look. She looked around the frame of the mirror, then ducked out of sight as she checked behind it. Returning into view a moment later, she said triumphantly, “You're the one in the mirror. This is the real world, where I am.”

“That's ridiculous,” Twilight repeated, “We can't both be not real! I mean… we can't both be real, can we?”

“As far as I'm concerned, you aren't.” But then the princess frowned. “So what are you then?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and suggested, “Maybe you're me if I was a princess.”

“And that would make you the me that was never made a princess,” Princess Twilight finished, “That's weird. Why are you at the castle then? You are at the castle, right?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, “I'm Celestia's personal student. She's my teacher in magical studies. I'm here to-”

“Magical studies?” Princess Twilight interrupted, her eyes sparkling with wonder, “As in: studying magic?” Twilight nodded. “That's wonderful! I wish I had the time for that!”

“Well, what do you normally do?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, the usual: dinner parties, beauty treatments, parades, stuff like that. What are you working on now?”

Twilight was taken aback by the question. “I'm trying to learn the basics of alchemy,” she said. She refrained from adding that she wasn't doing all that well.

“Alchemy? Isn't that hard? Ooh! I'd give anything to learn that. Father Watcher doesn't like me focusing on things that are outside my schedule.”

“…father who?”

The princess seemed to mirror her own confusion, and asked, “Isn't there a Father Watcher on your side? He's the one in charge of my care and scheduling.”

“No,” Twilight said, “Nopony like that. Why do you call him 'father'?”

“He insists. He's some kind of church official, but Celestia allowed him to take control of my princess training. He's a really good magic user; I always wanted to be as good as him, but he keeps telling me it's not right for a young princess to worry about casting magic. I don't like going against him. He's… there's something off about him. I mean, he's really nice, one of the nicest ponies I know, and I know he only wants the best for me, but still…”

Twilight stored this away and said absentmindedly, “I wonder what else is different about our worlds?”

After a pause, her double said, “Let's find out.” Taking advantage of Twilight's stunned silence, she began reexamining the mirror and continued talking, “If this thing lets us see and hear each other, surely we can use it to get through, too!”

Twilight opened her mouth to protest, then stopped. She thought about it for a moment. Parties, parades, spa treatments? No hard studying? It was just the break she needed.

Idiot! Twilight scolded herself, You can't go shirking your duties. You still have to prove to Celestia that you deserve to be her student!

On the other hoof, this was a completely unknown situation. Would it really be “shirking her duties” if she stepped through to examine it a bit closer? She could stay for a few days and come home with a full report for Princess Celestia about what she had learned. And if she so happened to enjoy some of the luxuries, who could blame her? A good experiment was well-rounded, after all. The more she thought about it, the better an idea it seemed.

“I think I have an idea,” Princess Twilight said, “There are some words on the top of the frame over here.”

“Yes, there's some over here too,” Twilight told her, “It looks like it's written in Equestrian, but I don't recognize any of the words.”

Princess Twilight tried to sound out the message from her side, “Erised stra… ehru oyt ube… cafru oyt on… wohsi.”

When she finished it appeared that nothing had happened. But there was an unmistakable feeling of discomfort in the air that had been absent before. Twilight felt it, and judging from how the princess herself was fidgeting, she did on her side too.

A soft draft blew against Twilight's face, sending a shiver down her spine. It took her a moment to realize it came from through the mirror. Stepping forward, she slowly reached out towards the surface of the glass with her hoof. Instead of touching a solid surface, her hoof passed through the open portal. The pane of glass was gone.

Twilight stepped back in awe, allowing an equally surprised Princess Twilight to come forward and try herself. She put one hoof through the door and took her first step into Twilight's world. She let out a gasp at the reality of it and leapt through without a second's hesitation. The twins were now standing face to face on the same ground.

“You are real,” Princess Twilight breathed. Then all at once she exclaimed with glee, “I can't believe that really worked!”

“Me neither,” Twilight murmured, sitting down. She needed a moment to take it in.

“So?”

Twilight was taken aback at the question. “So what?” she asked.

“How are we going to do this? Won't it be odd if there are two Twilights wandering around?” As Princess Twilight struggled to find the best way to go about learning of this new world she was in, Twilight herself looked passed her and into the open portal. Beyond that was a world free from cares or worries, where she was treated like a princess.

“Give me your outfit,” she said.

“Excuse me?”

“Give me your outfit. We're going to switch places. At least… for a while. Nopony would know, and Princess Celestia isn't going to return until noon the day after tomorrow. That gives us all of today and tomorrow to explore each other's world.”

Princess Twilight seemed hesitant. But then she nodded and reached up to take off her brace. “That's a wonderful idea,” she insisted, “I had to think about it, but if I can't trust myself then who can I trust?”

In another moment Twilight was wearing the heavy silver brace and the matching shoes. The brace was heavier than she thought it would be, and that made it all the harder to walk in the slippery boots.

“They're pegasus-made,” Princess Twilight explained, “So they aren't very good at… what's the word?”

“They don't have any traction,” Twilight finished for her, “I know how the Princess' shoes are made, thank you.”

She looked the young princess over. Without the boots and the modified yoke around her neck, she really did look a lot like Twilight. Her hair was done up a bit differently, but Twilight didn't think anypony would notice. In an odd moment of surreal clarity, she realized that the princess herself was probably experiencing the same sensation of looking at herself from an outside perspective. It was the first and only time they'd ever get to really look at themselves without the use of a mirror.

A regular mirror, that is.

“Are you ready?” Princess Twilight asked, and Twilight nodded despite the butterflies in her stomach.

It took all of her courage to step through the mirror. Mind you, she wasn't about to let herself look weak in front of the princess… even if it was only herself. She put one hoof through, and in leaning her weight on it almost slipped when it threatened to start sliding. Curse these boots! Not wasting another moment, she pushed herself forward through the frame and into the foreign world.

Turning around gave her the image of herself in a mirror. If she didn't feel the silver pulling against her neck, she would have sworn there was nothing out of the ordinary about this mirror at all.

“We meet here this same time the day after tomorrow,” she reminded her replacement. Princess Twilight agreed, and they bade each other goodbye. The princess was the first to go, picking up the Illumination Stone in her mouth as she exited and gracefully nudging the door close.

A pit formed in Twilight's stomach as she realized she had no clear idea of how a princess was supposed to behave. But she pushed that aside. Being courteous should be enough to keep from drawing too much suspicion. She was here to enjoy her time – or rather she was there to discretely collect information about another world, she reminded herself – and worrying about the small things was not going to help.

Resolving to let events play out naturally, Twilight turned and slid out of the room, grabbing the glowing stone with her magic as she did so.

Author's Note

Questions, criticism, suggestions? Leave them below! All comments welcome.

This was an idea I had even before Equestria Girls and its own magic mirror were announced, but I never actually acted on it. Of course I'm far from the first person to use mirrors as a portal, but I'd like to think this was a rather unique spin on it. Let me know if anyone else has done something similar.

An Evening in Wonderland – Part 2

Twilight had to stand up while Raven added shampoo and conditioner to her tail and washed it out. It had been really uncomfortable standing there while her sibling washed her like a parent washing their baby foal. Now she sat there while Raven scrubbed her with a sponge, feeling no better about it.

“Twilight, you need to relax,” Raven said, “That's what you came here for, remember?”

Twilight grunted in reply. The sponge was removed and Raven sat down.

“What's wrong, Twilight?” she asked, “You know you can tell me anything. I'm not going to report anything you say back to Watcher. I thought we were like sisters?”

Like sisters?! As in: not related? Immediately, all of Twilight's muscles relaxed and she allowed herself to smile. At least she wasn't being washed by her sibling. That was just a creepy thought.

“You're right,” Twilight said, “I'm sorry. I've just been feeling tired lately.”

“I understand,” Raven said, looking relieved, “Don't be afraid to come to me if you need anything.”

Raven reminded Twilight a lot of Shining Armor. Before he had gone off to train in the royal guard full-time, Shining Armor had always been there for her when she needed him. He still was, whenever possible, to the point where they occasionally still met up so he could teach her some personal defense, but she hadn't seen him very much in the past couple of months.

Her sadness must have shown, because Raven raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you absolutely sure – ack!”

Twilight had lunged over and encompassed the older filly in a sopping wet hug. “Thank you for always being there for me,” Twilight said, keeping her eyes closed so she could pretend she was talking to her brother, “You don't know how much it means.”

Raven patted her on the back gently, saying, “It's okay Twilight. I've always known. You never had to say a thing.”

Twilight let Raven finish and got out. Raven brought each of them a towel and helped Twilight dry off. Twilight had to think hard about her relationship with Shining Armor. Of course she loved him, more than anypony else in that or any other world, but… would she be happier with an older sister? How could she know? Didn't Shining Armor exist in this world, or was Princess Twilight an only child?

So many possibilities and only a day and a half left to explore them all. She'd certainly have to plan more trips to this world in the future. Getting to spend more time with a sister she never had would just be an added bonus.

Mrs. L came in as Raven was still drying herself off. “You look like you had a good time,” she mused playfully. Raven just stuck her tongue out at the older mare, causing Twilight to giggle. Mrs. L turned to her and added, “And you look like you're feeling better.” Twilight nodded in agreement.

“She's all yours, Mrs. Lavender,” Raven said.

Lavender! That was it! Her name was Lavender Scent. Twilight couldn't believe she'd forget – wait, what? She was leaving Raven?

Her expression must have betrayed her feelings, because Raven told her, “Don't worry, Twi, you can come see me tomorrow if you have the spare time. I'll be right here all day.” She nuzzled Twilight affectionately, which struck Twilight as both awkward (they had just met, after all) and yet comforting. It was certainly a lot more intimate than how Shining Armor would have behaved.

“Goodbye,” Twilight said, turning to follow Mrs. Lavender.

“I'm going to do your mane,” Lavender Scent explained, “and since we're short on time, I'm going to have another pony do your hooficure while I work on your tail. Is that okay?”

“That's fine,” Twilight told her.

She had occasionally gone to the spa every now and then, but it was always treated as a special occasion. This all seemed so… rushed, routine, almost mundane. It was so odd. But if she got a free hooficure out of it, who was she to complain?

It just didn't seem like the ideal environment to relax in is all.

♦ ◊ ♦

Levitation was labeled as a Class III spell, the highest class of beginner spells, despite it being one of the first things a unicorn learns to do. According to Twilight's notes, the reason is because it takes a constant drain on a unicorn's magic. But in reality is was still very simple.

It was something Princess Twilight was not very good at.

That was something she wanted to correct while she was here.

Sadly, the notes explained how levitation worked, but didn't give much advice beyond “keep practicing”. That was mildly distressing, considering how detailed Twilight's other notes were. She moved an inkwell in front of her and concentrated on it. Channelling all her energy, she tried wrapping the inkwell in her magic. A fragile purple aura surrounded it.

Good so far.

Taking a deep breath, she tried with all her might to lift it. The inkwell began to levitate, rising a few centimeters before halting its ascent and wavering. Princess Twilight redoubled her effort, getting it to raise a few more centimeters before it fell. The cap burst open on impact and ink spilled everywhere.

“Oh no, no, no,” Princess Twilight muttered, looking over the damaged parchments. “There has to be a cleaning spell in this mess somewhere.” If there was, though, the room was too cluttered for her to locate anything. She looked sadly at the ruined scrolls, whispering, “I'm sorry, Twilight. There's nothing I can do.”

Some of the ink had splashed on her as well. “I hope there's a bathroom nearby,” she muttered, “I'd hate to get lost again just trying to clean up.”

♦ ◊ ♦

After her hair and hooves were done, both looking quite nice too, Lavender Scent brought Twilight back to the front room where Raven and an elaborate dress was waiting for them. Twilight tried to do as she was instructed in order to get into the darn thing while Raven stood behind her, trying to tie the dress on once it was in place.

“Ow!” Twilight exclaimed as Raven pulled the strings tighter.

“I'm sorry, Twilight,” she replied, “This dress is kind of complicated.”

“It's okay,” Twilight assured her, wincing at the pain as she pulled again.

“Watcher will be here any minute,” Lavender Scent warned them. She was pushing Twilight's hair into a fancy upward position, “How does that look, princess?”

“That's good, Mrs. Lavender. Thank you.”

“Can I have a clothespin?” Raven asked. Lavender Scent just sighed and got in closer to help.

Finally Twilight slid her boots and brace back on. She had forgotten how heavy the darn thing was. And how itchy, too.

“He's coming,” Lavender Scent said. Raven scurried away, a look of barely-hidden fear growing over her face. Twilight's own stomach turned in reply. If her surrogate sister was frightened of Watcher, Twilight couldn't be particularly sure that she herself was safe in his presence.

The dark orange unicorn approached and glanced over the outfit Twilight was wearing. Having his eyes linger over her like that made Twilight feel even less comfortable. But he simply nodded and exchanged a few parting words with Lavender Scent. The blatant animosity in their voices did not ease Twilight's fears in the slightest.

She went with Watcher, careful not to stand too close to him. She didn't recognize these hallways, making her wonder where they were headed to if not the regular dining room. But she didn't dare ask.

“Did you get a chance to relax?” he asked her.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, but quickly recovered. “I did,” she answered.

“You seem a little tense.”

“I'm feeling fine, Father Watcher,” she insisted.

Watcher stopped in his tracks, causing Twilight to freeze in panic.

“Twilight,” he said, “I've told you just to call me Father, alright?”

“Yes… Father,” Twilight acknowledged.

“Very good,” Watcher said, smiling unconvincingly, “Now let's hurry. And remember, keep your head high. It's unbecoming to slouch.”

Surprisingly, Watcher brought Twilight to the main ballroom where a series of tables was set up for a dinner party.

“Because Princess Celestia hasn't returned,” Watcher began, “You will be sitting in her chair instead of your own for tonight. Remember that you represent the royal family, and your peers will judge you harshly.”

Twilight only nodded, speechless at what she was hearing. Celestia's large, ornate dining chair was set up at the head of the center table. Twilight had always been so curious, but never dared to sit in it even once.

“Twilight, answer me when I speak to you.”

“Yes, I understand… Father.”

“Very good. Let us proceed.”

Twilight had always imagined this: getting to eat with the adults at a proper party. What were they celebrating? It didn't matter, she was here! And she got to sit in the big chair itself! She could barely contain her enthusiasm. She almost let out a squeal of delight, but Watcher breathing down her neck reminded her that she needed to be inconspicuous.

Everypony's eyes were on her. Twilight gulped and tried to slide onto the chair as gracefully as possible. She almost slipped, but managed to catch herself. The table almost came up to her chin, on account of just how tall Celestia was, but Twilight managed to stretch herself into a sitting position that seemed to work well enough, resting her hooves on the table to support herself.

“Keep your hooves off of the table,” Watcher whispered hurriedly from his seat beside her. Twilight obliged, struggling to stay sitting up without them. It was such an unnatural position, and it made her back hurt.

Twilight glanced around at the different ponies assembled. They must have made up Canterlot's first class citizens in this world. There wasn't anypony she recognized, not that it made a difference.

“Stop fidgeting.”

Twilight shrunk a little in her chair.

“Don't slouch.”

Twilight straightened up, grinding her teeth.

The mare on the other side of her turned to her and asked, “So, young Princess Twilight, is Princess Celestia still away on business?”

Twilight glanced over to Watcher, who gave her a slight nod. Returning her gaze to the pony she was speaking to, Twilight answered as politely as she could, “Yes ma'am, she's still away.”

“Dealing with those ruffians in the north,” the stranger continued pompously, “She will put them in their place, don't you worry. Your teacher has had more than enough experience to take care of herself.”

Twilight bit her tongue to avoid snapping at her, but the stranger had already turned away. Watcher was looking at her, however. He no doubt saw the angry expression on her face before she could wipe it off. He didn't say anything, but disapproval seemed to radiate from his direction.

The first course was soup. Twilight could smell it a ways away, and it made her realize just how hungry she really was. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and after all the day's excitement her stomach was crying out for sustenance. She watched as the waiters delivered food to the other guests, but none came for her. One would think that the residing princess would have been given top priority, but Twilight managed to avoid grumbling about it.

Somepony did come up from behind her, levitating her soup from a cart and placing it before her. Twilight eagerly grabbed her spoon in her magic and tried to levitate it. Before she could move it more than a centimeter, though, it was grabbed in someone else's magic and pushed back to the table. It was Watcher, who was living up to his namesake by glaring at her.

Everypony was looking towards the end of the tables. An earth pony in a collared cloak was standing there, ready to say something. Twilight recognized her as a church official, but couldn't guess why she was here. Everypony closed their eyes and bowed their heads, Twilight following suit. Much to her surprise, the church pony began a prayer!

Twilight had to remind herself that this was a different world, with much different customs than she was used to. This had never happened to her in her own world. Granted, she'd never been to a fancy party, but she did occasionally eat in the main dining hall instead of with the castle staff in the mess hall, and there was never a prayer during those dinners.

She peeked and glanced around. Everypony, even Watcher, was actively engaged in the moment. When it was done, they all chanted an “amen” and their dinner officially began. Some ponies began by going for their soup, while most started up quiet conversations with the ponies sitting near them. Twilight looked to Watcher, who had picked up his own spoon. She did as well, eating the soup as quickly as she could without looking sloppy.

When the soup was done, a salad took its place. She consumed it heartily as well, as disappointingly small as it was. When she was done, an unknown stallion approached her, escorted by a royal guard, and spoke to her.

“Princess Twilight,” he began, bowing slightly, “It is an honor. I am here on behalf of the Canterlot Orphanage. It was our hope that you would grace us with your presence again this year. The children sincerely enjoy your visits.”

“Oh… oh yes, of course, I'd love to come,” Twilight told him, smiling warmly.

He returned the smile, bowing once more and saying, “Thank you, your majesty,” before walking off.

After a moment, Watcher said, “You really should not have agreed to that without consulting me first.”

“I'm sorry,” Twilight lied. He looked expectantly at her, so she added, “Father.”

“Just try not to do it again.” He seemed more than a little unhappy at her behavior. Twilight told herself to hold her tongue for a while.

After the salad was a piece of cake. It was a small piece of cake, and Twilight took great care in trying to make it last as long as she could. Not because she wanted to stay there in Watcher's presence, but because chocolate cake was a rare treat and she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could while she had the chance.

After the guests had gone, many of them stopping by to pay Twilight their respects, Watcher took her through the halls back to the baths. He warned her that she only had about half an hour until bedtime before giving her up to Lavender Scent. Mrs. Lavender helped her out of her outfit and got the bath prepared for her. Raven was gone, but a new attendant was there to scrub her down involuntarily. Despite this, she tried her best to relax in the warm water.

Afterwards, she discovered that Mrs. Lavender had already put away her brace and boots. She was given a robe and Mrs. Lavender wished her a good night. She returned the gesture and left with the royal guards. Watcher must have already retired for the night. The guards escorted her down more halls she hadn't seen before today and to one door in particular. Twilight entered, and her jaw dropped.

This room was huge. At least ten by twenty meters, if she had to guess. A bed far larger than Twilight herself would ever be was pushed up against the wall, and the opposite wall was comprised entirely of windows, through which Twilight could see her personal balcony. The room faced east, allowing her to wake up with the sunrise in the morning. Two dressers and a luxurious vanity took up some of the extra space, as well as a small desk probably used mostly for writing letters, judging by the setup. And the carpeting was so soft against her hooves. The room was lit up by a chandelier hanging from the ceiling which used proper magical Sunstones instead of those dull blue Illumination Stones.

Twilight closed the doors behind her and stood there for a while, taking it in. Finally, she just had to sit down and laugh. Sliding off the robe, she quickly rushed into the bed, noting how soft and cool the sheets and blankets were.

She was asleep before she could figure out how to turn off the light.

♦ ◊ ♦

A small plate lay on the edge of the desk. Princess Twilight was doing her best to finish the scroll she was on, but it was getting harder to concentrate.

The maid who had brought her that sandwich had been really nice about it.

Just had to try one more spell before bed. She could do it.

Apparently this world's Twilight regularly ate with the castle staff, and when they noticed her gone they had sent someone with food for her.

The princess failed to suppress a yawn.

She'd already accomplished quite a bit. Maybe she could call it a night. Learning that concussive blast had taken a lot out of her.

No, she could stay awake for just one more spell. Just one more.

A little while later, the light from the Illumination Stones just kind of faded and died, casting Princess Twilight into complete darkness, her head still laying across the parchment where she had fallen asleep.

♦ ◊ ♦

Normally Watcher would not be up so late. He sat at his desk, not moving, not reading anything. He was simply thinking. Princess Twilight's behavior over the latter course of the day, particularly dinner, had upset him. She knew better than that. What had happened after lunch to change her? She started forgetting the simplest of rules and regulations he had taught her!

But that wasn't what worried him. If it was something that simple, he would have simply scolded her and been done with it.

Sitting on the desk was a large glass bottle of a black liquid. Carefully, he poked at the jar with his magic. The liquid inside reacted, indicating that it was still alive. And he could still sense its presence with his magic.

He had been slipping the substance into Princess Twilight's food and drink ever since she came on as Princess Celestia's apprentice. And up until now he had never had a hard time detecting it. If the amount in the container was still alive, then the rest of it should be fine inside of its host. So why couldn't he sense it anymore?

He knew it must have something to do with the way she was acting.

Watcher got up and began walking around the room. His office was large, large enough to function as his magic lab where he performed his experiments, and the equipment was scattered around the various tables and cubbies. He must have had a container he could use. At one point his eyes settled on a beaker, but he disregarded it pretty quickly.

After a few minutes of fruitless searching, he returned to his desk and pulled out his leather flask. Quickly emptying its contents in the sink and magically sterilizing the inside of it, he returned to his desk and carefully poured in as much of the thin liquid into it as he could, careful not to spill a drop.

He set that aside and went back to thinking, occasionally prodding the large container with his magic some more to watch it squirm. Eventually he returned it to the safe where he stored it and took the flask with him as he left.

Author's Note

Can you tell I don't use the metric system often?

This wasn't originally going to be a two-part chapter, but it ran much longer than I thought it would. I think I have the rest all sorted out, though, so this should be the only one, not that it makes much of a difference.

Cracks in the Glass

A loud, warm ringing filled the air, stirring Twilight from her sleep. It was a clock chime. She turned over in her bed and groggily opened her eyes, only to freeze as she realizes she had no idea where she was. It took a moment before the memories of the past day came flooding back to her.

“That's right,” she chuckled to herself, rubbing a hoof through her tattered hair. The clock chimed again, and for a moment she just laid there to listen to its pleasant tone.

She had just about fallen back to sleep when she heard a knock at the door. Two maids quickly entered.

“Up and at 'em, young princess!” one of them chirped. Twilight rubbed her eyes and yawned, crawling to the edge of bed and sliding out.

She smiled at Silver Dust, who returned the gesture as the other maid started to make Twilight's bed for her. That was awfully nice.

It seemed darker than when she usually got up. Part of that was the sun itself, which still wasn't as bright as Twilight was used to. But a quick glance at the clock on the wall showed that it was nearly two hours earlier than when she normally awoke, even on a school day.

Well I guess that's the trade-off for being pampered, Twilight thought. Silver Dust bade her move quickly to the baths, and she obliged, stumbling out drowsily into the hall where a guard waited to escort her.

Lavender Scent wasn't there, leaving Twilight in the care of an attendant she didn't know. In her lethargic state, though, she didn't particularly care. As soon as she was washed and dressed for the day, the guard guided her down the random hallways towards the dining hall. She would have tried to talk to him, to get his name or something, but she couldn't yet open her mouth without having to stifle a yawn.

I hope they have scrambled eggs, she thought wearily.

When she stayed at the castle, Twilight usually ate all her meals in the staff cafeteria. But the guard brought her to the dining hall instead, which was almost empty except for a few other ponies staying at the castle. She couldn't be sure if they were guests or if they were workers or whatever; she was still a little too tired to care. She took a seat next to the head of the table where Princess Celestia was supposed to sit, and sat patiently as she wondered where the waiter was with her breakfast.

♦ ◊ ♦

Watcher was waiting in the dining hall when Princess Twilight arrived. As she sat down, he slipped back into the kitchen where her oat breakfast was just being finished. He loaded it onto the cart himself and pulled out his leather flask, draining the contents into her meal and drink. The black liquid quickly dissolved, but a quick prod with his magic assured him that it was still there.

Watcher rolled the cart along with him to Princess Twilight's seat and placed the plate before her, shoving the cart to the side for the waiter to grab. Princess Twilight frowned over her usual breakfast as though expecting something else, and then briefly glanced to the side of the plate as if there should be some utensil there.

Watcher's brow furled in concern. He still couldn't sense the substance inside of her, and her behavior had not improved. Nor should she be this tired. He gave a sigh of relief when she leaned forward and began eating as though nothing was wrong.

“Ahem,” he began, getting her attention, “I want to remind you that we are spending this morning visiting the nearby town to attend the opening ceremony for the local park. Your dress is already waiting in your room when you're done.”

Princess Twilight grunted in reply.

“Princess, speak to me when I am speaking to you.”

The princess paused. She seemed to be biting back a cutting remark as she responded quietly, “I'm sorry, Father. I understand. When will we be leaving?”

“Follow your escort to the launch bay when you are dressed,” he replied, “I will meet you there. And do something with your hair. It looks like you didn't even brush it this morning.”

♦ ◊ ♦

The launch bay, as it turned out, was a large garage on the ground floor where the royal chariot, among others, was left when not in use. The two guards that would be pulling the golden chariot were already in place and harnessed, and two more pegasus guards stood nearby to flank the chariot once it was in flight.

Twilight had never been this close to the royal chariot before. Holding her breath in reverence, she slowly approached the majestic vehicle and stood next to it. It was so polished that she could see her entire reflection in it, makeup and dress and all.

Sliding off one of her shoes, she slowly ran a hoof across the smooth wing-shaped sides of the chariot, marveling in the craftsponyship it took to produce such an accurate sculpting of pony wings in flight. It couldn't be solid gold (she knew that gold was too malleable to hold a solid shape like this, especially against the air resistance a chariot has to deal with in flight) but it was the best imitation she'd ever seen.

The wheels, made of the same mysterious metal, were geometrically perfect, which for pegasus craftwork was standard, but so few ponies ever got to see it up close except on the battlefield. But this was no battle taxi; this was designed for status and comfort.

Her state of awe was almost enough to make her forget that she'd never flown before.

“Are you ready?” Watcher asked, pulling Twilight out of her trance. She hadn't even heard him enter the room.

“Y-yes, Father,” she said, turning to face him, blushing at how he had caught her in such a personal moment. Watcher's mind seemed to be on something else, though. She could see it in his eyes; they looked completely glazed over. He could see her, but wasn't really registering her presence.

Twilight couldn't refrain from scowling as Watcher stepped onto the chariot, getting whatever grime was on his hooves all over that beautifully polished surface. She did her best to wipe her boots clean against the cement floor, for whatever good it did, before gently stepping up onto the carriage.

“We're ready,” Watcher told the guards, who nodded in reply. Twilight was already trembling. She scooted closer to the front of the chariot, prompted by visions of being thrown from the cart mid-flight.

The large double doors creaked open, and daylight flooded the bay. Twilight made to wince as she was wont to do whenever somepony swung open the shutters to let light into a dark room, and was stunned when the light didn't blind her.

That's right, it's darker over here, she reminded herself. She relaxed, only to receive a jolt as the chariot began moving.

Twilight grabbed onto the edge of the carriage. She gulped as they passed through the doors. I'm not ready for this, she realized, eyes wide with fear. The ponies pulling them threw their wings open, causing Twilight to give off a frightened “eep!” in anticipation of what was about to happen.

“Are you alright, princess?” the guard walking alongside the carriage asked, watching her with concern.

As if triggered, Watcher snapped to life and barked, “Mind your own business!” before glaring briefly at Twilight for drawing the guard's attention.

Twilight didn't care. She was about to throw up. Or faint. Or both! What if she fainted and then threw up?! She'd suffocate on her own vomit! Not that it would matter, she realized, because as soon as she was unconscious she would slide from the chariot and start rushing towards the ground at terminal velocity.

The chariot was picking up speed. The guards beside them were trotting with their wings wide open in preparation for takeoff. Twilight would have been amazed at the smoothness of the ride had her thoughts not been consumed by her terror.

Twilight closed her eyes and tried to grip the side of the chariot harder, silently cursing the frictionless boots that wanted to slip and slide against the polished metal of the chariot. She might have said something aloud had she trusted herself not to puke.

More speed. Twilight could feel the wind in her face, blowing through her mane. She was trembling, tears running down her face. A whimper escaped her throat.

And then she felt a gentle hoof against her shoulder. For a moment, she thought it was Celestia's; it was the same touch she used whenever she saw Twilight was afraid of something.

Why hadn't they taken off yet? The runway was not this long.

She opened her eyes just a peep, and then a moment later opened them fully in amazement.

They were high above the open plains of Equestria. They must have left the city limits a while ago, and were passing swiftly over spacious fields and winding rivers. In her panic, Twilight hadn't felt them leave the ground.

She turned around to see who was touching her. Watcher was resting his hoof on her shoulder, smiling warmly at her. There was something new in his eyes, none of that hostility that she had seen up to that point. It was a type of fondness, one she recognized seeing from only one other source: her parents. He was telling her that everything was going to be okay, and that he–

The chariot hit a sudden air pocket and lurched slightly. Twilight whimpered and clutched the rim tighter. Watcher only scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her.

For a while, they just sat there in silence. Eventually though, Twilight took her hooves off the chariot wall and sat properly. Despite how fast they were going, the wind was nothing more than a gentle breeze against her, certainly not the gale-force current she feared would sweep her away.

Pegasus magic was amazing.

Seeing that she was okay, Watcher retracted his arm and let her be. Twilight continued to gaze off at the scenery, refusing to even look back at him for fear of what she'd seen in his eyes.

♦ ◊ ♦

The ceremony took place at the front of the park entrance. There was no gate, so two small poles had been set up and a red ribbon tied between them to be cut. A podium had been set up where the mayor stood to give her speech. Twilight stood behind her and off to the side, flanked by the guards who had flown beside the chariot.

She was having trouble breathing. Not because of her outfit – that was loose enough – but because of what she saw by staring out into the audience. There were so many of them! That wouldn't be a problem on its own, but as she was stepping down from the chariot when it landed Watcher had let her know that her speech would be waiting on the pedestal for her to read.

Twilight never had problems with her oral reports; in fact she was more than eager to share what she knew with other students. But this was different. This was an important speech, made to complete strangers, which would be recorded by reporters, that she hadn't written and hadn't rehearsed even once!

She bit her lip, aware that she was heavily perspiring. The mayor was still going on, but it was anypony's guess for how long she would continue. Twilight tried to forget the speech and focus on something other than the crowd.

The mayor was a somewhat elderly green earth pony. Her blond mane and tail were already greying, both pulled back into a bun. A group of ponies she could only assume were her family were sitting off to the side. There was an orange mare sitting next to a red stallion, and with them a pair of young fillies, also orange and red and wearing simple dresses that Twilight envied. Her own dress had taken fifteen minutes and three attendants to get on. Neither child looked particularly pleased to be there, though, and Twilight sympathized with them.

Twilight was still trying to figure out what the mayor's cutie mark had to do with politics when the guards on either side of her stood up. Her heart skipped a beat as the mayor stood aside from the podium and looked towards her.

With a silent prayer, Twilight followed the guards forward. A stool was quickly placed in front of the pedestal for her, and she climbed up to read the speech.

All eyes were on her. The crowd was silent; a child made a noise but was quickly hushed. Her mouth was dry. She wanted to throw up. Watcher was watching her. She didn't want to see concern in his eyes, much less than she wanted to see anger there.

Twilight gulped and tried to read the first few lines: “Every town has a unique…” All that came out was a terrified whisper. She was trembling. She wanted to cry. The crowd looked confused. They were murmuring to each other, questioning her silence. The mayor looked just as uncomfortable as everypony else.

Twilight had failed. She realized that now. For all her talk of not doubting herself anymore, she hadn't actually accomplished anything since she stepped through that darn mirror. She closed her eyes and let her shoulders sag, ready to resign herself to tears.

“Princess,” one of her guards whispered, sounding oddly fearful, “I know that today is very difficult for you, but please stay strong. You have such a wonderful group of friends and loved ones who care so very much for you. Everyone out here is here for you, not the park, because of how much you mean to them.”

Twilight glanced over to the guard. He was smiling faintly in support of her. She didn't know what he was talking about today being special, but he was right. Back home, she had ponies who loved and cared for her. They may not have been there, but she wasn't going to let them down by messing up when she could be improving herself.

Wiping her tears away with the back of her hoof (her pastern, she remembered. She hadn't been studying her anatomy enough), Twilight smiled back at him and looked out at the crowd again. They did look concerned for her. For some reason, it made her feel a little calmer.

Clearing her throat, Twilight began again with the speech. This time, she projected her voice like she was supposed to, keeping it steady and strong.

“Every town has a unique history and culture to it,” she began, “One that changes ever so slightly every year. Today, we are here to honor a new addition to this town's history and identity. As Princess Celestia's representative…”

When she finished, Twilight was brought a large pair of scissors by a pony with a cutie mark shaped like scissors. She took the scissors in her magic and walked up to the red ribbon. She quickly snipped the ribbon to the sound of thunderous applause.

As ponies began milling into the new park to enjoy their “addition to the town's history”, Twilight made to follow them, but was cut off by Watcher.

“Come,” he said, “We must get back for lunch.” There was no inflection in his voice, nothing to suggest that he had an opinion on Twilight's hesitation. She saw him glance at the one guard who had helped her and purse his lips, as though thinking about reprimanding him. Fear was plastered on the guard's face, but after a moment Watcher simply disregarded him and began walking towards the parked chariot.

A Polished Life

Princess Twilight had found a pair of sunglasses in Twilight's room. They helped, but this world still seemed painfully bright regardless. Every time Princess Twilight glanced out the window she felt like she should be squinting. She also found a hooded cloak, which from its appearance seemed barely used by Twilight. She put it on, thankful for not having to go around feeling naked. Other ponies did it, but she just couldn't after so long. Heck, even going barehoof felt odd to her.

Now that she was outside, though, Princess Twilight could not help but disregard the glasses and admire the way everything looked in this light. The castle gardens were so much healthier, greener and bigger. The grass under her bare hooves was also an unexpected pleasure after the cold stone floors inside the castle. She would have to start going outside more often.

As Princess Twilight admired the various plants and flowerbeds, occasionally waving at another visitor or guard, she tried a bit of her new magic on the plants, pulling on them with her levitation or trying to change the color of petals.

As she neared the front entrance of the castle, Princess Twilight noticed that the front gate was wide open for some reason. There were two guards, but they didn't stop or even question the pony walking in. The princess was amazed. Ponies could just walk in and out as they pleased!

A new idea formed in her mind. A terrible, exciting idea. As quick as she could, Princess Twilight raced inside through the front door, past some confused attendants walking about, and down the unfamiliar hallways until she reached her room. The other Twilight's room, that is.

There was a small pouch of gold coins (oddly designed coins too, in her opinion), but it wasn't enough. After a bit of scrounging, the princess managed to find a small box nearly filled to the brim with coins.

“She must have been saving for months,” Princess Twilight thought, “After all, I doubt she gets the same allowance I do if she's not a real princess.” Whatever she spent over here, she had more than enough to pay the other Twilight back once she got access to her own accounts at home.

She poured the contents of the box into the pouch on Twilight's saddlebags and slid them on over her cloak. She then managed to grab her sunglasses in her magic and slowly slid them into another pocket. Feeling immensely proud of herself, the princess hummed a merry tune as she left the room and traced her steps back to the front entrance of the castle.

The hard part came next. For a while, Princess Twilight stood outside the front door of the castle, looking through the open gate. She was trembling. There was no way the guards would let her through, right? It was unlikely. Even if she wasn't a princess in this world, they wouldn't just let a child walk out alone.

The door behind her opened, causing her to jump in surprise. A stallion came walking out, whistling to himself and heading for the road. Realizing her chance, the princess pulled her hood over her head and followed in his wake, close enough to be mistaken for his child but not so close that he'd notice.

She gulped as the guards nodded to the stallion as he passed by. The glanced at her, but didn't recognize her in her cloak and slouched form. She separated from her unaware guardian on the road, threw her hood down, and began wandering.

The roads were a familiar cobblestone, and the white stone buildings were just what she remembered from her own world. It was a large, crowded, beautiful city.

I missed this so much, she thought, getting to wander freely like a commoner. What's that over there?

There was a flash in one of the store windows that had caught her attention. Weaving through the ponies milling about, she got up close to the magical supply store and glanced inside. A large crystal ball was giving off occasional flashes of light. There was a deck of tarot cards spread out to display the different images, and a small cauldron was spilling over with smoke to give the whole thing an eerie feel.

But her excitement quickly died when the princess saw the “Adults only” sign in the corner of the window.

Why, if I had a guard with me they'd let me take whatever I wanted, she thought, grinding her teeth. What terrible irony. When she had the power, she wasn't allowed to use it. Now that she was free, she didn't have the power to exercise. She almost stamped her hoof in anger as she turned away.

What could she do? She continued down the road, watching the other ponies going by on their busy day. She wondered what they were up to. There was a pony in a business suit who walked into a joke shop. That seemed odd.

Two mares stood together and hailed down a cab. When it arrived, they kissed and one got into the cab while the other waved goodbye.

A pegasus touched down and joined two unicorns standing outside a beauty parlor.

“Oof!” Princess Twilight hit someone.

“Hey!” the older colt exclaimed as the princess rubbed her head, “You poked me with your horn!”

“I'm sorry, sir,” she replied, looking up at the grey colt.

He just snorted and readjusted his little glasses before turning his tail on her. She caught him mumbling something about “filthy commoners” as he walked away.

Princess Twilight briefly considered putting that concussive blast to the test, but she didn't feel like pressing her luck. There was a bookstore nearby. Maybe that would take her mind off of that brat.

The bell above the door twinkled and the princess was hit by the staggering smell of new books. It was rather inviting, actually. And the silence inside the bookstore was a comfortable one. A few other ponies stood around at the shelves, deeply immersed in whatever they were doing.

“Hello Twilight,” a kind voice said, causing her to jump at the recognition. It was the older mare at the counter. She continued, “I almost didn't recognize you in that outfit.”

“Oh, yes, it's… um… I thought it was cold out,” she lied, giving an unconvincing laugh.

“Well… alright. Try to enjoy yourself.”

The princess quickly made her way to the shelves and wiped the sweat from her brow. Apparently this world's Twilight did wander about freely. Getting inside the castle would be easier, if that was the case.

She picked out a few books that looked interesting. One was A History of Canterlot, Volume 1, another The Basics of Equestrian Religion, and last was a new release called The Last Assassins, about a group of griffin assassins from the early days of the Gryphon Kingdom, when it was still forming.

“I'm surprised you don't have these two books yet,” the mare at the cash register said, “They seem rather basic.”

“I do,” the princess quickly agreed, “They're a gift. To a younger student.”

“Well, that will be thirty-four bits; it's a little expensive.”

“I'm sure I have it,” Princess Twilight said, reaching into her pouch and praying that she was referring to the little gold coins.

The books fit snugly into her bags, and when Princess Twilight left she was feeling notably better than before. Where else could she go? There had to be at least one other interesting store nearby.

At a nearby card shop, she found a few postcards detailing the different landscapes, and bought a few of those to hold onto to compare to pictures of her home universe.

The beauty salon she passed before had a beautiful pair of hair clips that were sadly far outside of her current price range. According to the tag, they were imported from a place called the “Ascua Confederation”. She had no idea where that was, but the design was unlike anything she'd ever seen.

After stopping to chat with a local florist whose father grew the carnations she sold, the princess found herself a restaurant-looking building called “Donut Joe's”.

“Every five minutes I find something new to completely surprise me,” she said, quickly making her way inside.

The unicorn behind the counter took immediate notice of her and said, “Why, isn't it little Miss Sparkle. The usual, I presume?”

“That will be fine; thank you,” she replied, taking a seat on the empty stool at the counter. She was beginning to suspect that everypony in this world knew her.

“Milk okay?” he asked.

“Absolutely!”

“My, you're in a good mood today, aren't you? How's Spike?”

“It's a good day,” she said, watching him pile a few donuts onto a plate, “Spike is doing well.” She didn't know who Spike was, but she presumed it was just a friend of Twilight's. She couldn't imagine a parent naming their child that, but what did she know about naming conventions in this world?

The plate and a mug of milk were levitated before her. Joe went back to helping another customer, leaving Princess Twilight to enjoy her jelly-filled ball of wonderment. Donuts were a big no-no according to Father Watcher, but she'd done her best to get the attendants to sneak her some whenever possible. But those were usually plain and frosted. These were the good stuff. She quickly grabbed the next and chomped into it.

“What do I owe you again?” Princess Twilight asked, pleased at how inconspicuous she was being in the presence of the other Twilight's peers.

“Ten bits, as usual,” Joe replied. The princess smiled and levitated her coins onto the counter, moving onto her final donut.

Before she left, Princess Twilight counted up her remaining coin and wondered if there was anything else she could afford. On her way back to the castle she spotted an antique store. Putting on her sunglasses again to glance up at the sun, she judged that she'd only been gone an hour and a half at most.

How long could she afford to be gone? Oh, that's right – she didn't have anyone to report to in this world! Taking her glasses off again, the princess began humming again and made her way inside the little shop.

The stallion at the counter didn't as much as look up from his magazine when Princess Twilight entered. The store was dark, it was crowded with junk, and it was probably way below sanitation standards. Princess Twilight gave a silent “yuck” at the grimy floor alone, not sure if she really wanted to walk around in there.

It was primarily furniture in there, most of it old and in disrepair. There was a set of silverware, and over there an old chandelier. She found outdated tools and an old, broken compass. A polished sword from the “Second Great War” was locked in a display case near a set of shell jewelry. There were jars of small knick knacks and chests of old clothes.

Then she saw them.

She saw them next to an old, foreign changing screen and sitting on a dirty tablecloth half-draped over a stool. It was a full set of little red flats, made from some kind of soft, flexible material. They seemed so lonely, standing out in these drab surroundings. She slid one over her hoof, smiling when it fit perfectly. It looked a bit cheaper than her usual attire, but it was cute.

The stallion jumped when she laid the shoes down on the table.

“How much for these?” she asked eagerly.

The stallion hesitated for a moment before replying, “Make me an offer.”

“I have twenty-four bits left,” she exclaimed.

“…alright. That's enough.”

Princess Twilight didn't feel the smallest bit of regret as she handed over the last of her money to the pony before grabbing the shoes and getting back onto the street.

Once outside, she put her new shoes and chuckled. They certainly didn't match the cloak, but she didn't care. Three days ago, this would have been her wildest fantasy. Now, she was going around as if she was born to this lifestyle. But there were still some things she wanted to practice when she got back to her room; she'd spent enough time indulging for the day.

As she anticipated, the guards on duty – not the same ones as before – simply acknowledged her as she walked in, not even asking where she'd been. The freedom Princess Twilight now had filled her with a giddy joy. This world certainly was brighter than her old one.

“Twilight!” an attendant said, getting her attention as she was passing through the main hallway. She stopped to hear the newcomer out. “I thought you might like to know that Princess Celestia returned early. She said she was going to wait for you to return so she could talk to… are you okay?"

Princess Twilight could feel the blood draining from her face. Princess Celestia? Here?! Wanting to talk to her?!

She wanted to faint.

“I'm going to go lie down,” the princess said. The attendant tried to stop her, but Princess Twilight insisted that she was fine and continued on.

Panicked thoughts cycled through Princess Twilight's head as she continued wandering through the halls towards her room. The princess was back. The princess wanted to talk to her. The princess was the other Twilight's teacher. The princess would know that she wasn't the same Twilight…

The princess was around every corner. She was actively looking for the impostor. How could Princess Twilight have been so stupid?! She should have known something unexpected would happen. Why would the universe give her this freedom unless it intended to take it away?

She made it to her room without incident. She opened the door as far as it would go before it jammed up against a pile of books and then squeezed inside.

“Hello Twilight.” – Princess Twilight jumped in surprise – “You've made quite a mess.”

Princess Twilight couldn't say anything. She couldn't even breathe. She had been expecting Celestia; she hadn't expected what she found.

“Is something wrong?” Celestia was lying on the bed, the only uncluttered spot in the room, one of Twilight's scrolls open and floating in front of her. She had evidently been very curious as to what her student was writing about.

“W-wrong? No, no, no. Nothing's wrong,” she lied, unable to take her eyes off of the older princess.

Celestia raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Princess Twilight put on the most convincing smile she could.

“Well,” Celestia said, placing the scroll down and climbing off the bed, “we can wait a few more days before our lessons start again. I know I've been gone a while, but you probably want a few days to finish what you were doing and clean up. I like your new shoes.”

Princess Twilight could only nod dumbly at the mare standing over her. Bad move. Celestia pursed her lips and asked again, “Are you sure nothing happened while I was away?”

“No! Nothing,” Princess Twilight insisted, twitching nervously.

Celestia simply nodded and slipped out the door herself, closing it behind her. After a moment, she slumped down and started breathing again.

♦ ◊ ♦

As soon as she was out of Twilight's room, Celestia's expression hardened. Something was wrong with her student. It wasn't just her behavior.

There was a darkness inside of her. It was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place where she last felt it. Not that it mattered at the moment. Her faithful student had lied to her about nothing happening, and now something was growing inside of her.

But she wasn't going to directly confront Twilight about it just yet. Twilight was a smart filly, guided by a strong moral compass. There was no reason to betray her trust when she would explain what happened before long anyway, and Celestia wanted an answer for her when that happened. Twilight would trust her to know what was going on and how to fix it.

She passed a maid on her way, who bowed respectfully. She stopped and told the maid, “Go to my throne room and tell whoever is on duty there that I will not be following the rest of my schedule today. I have a personal matter I need to attend to.”

The maid humbly agreed and sped off, leaving Celestia alone with her concerns.

♦ ◊ ♦

The books and postcards were thrown on the bed and her saddlebags stuffed with all the class three and class four scrolls she could fit. Princess Twilight didn't even take off her cloak and shoes as she left and headed for the library. She'd already learned of its location from her other wanderings around the castle, but hadn't taken the time to stop and search through.

Now it may be her only hope.

This time, she didn't stop to admire the stacks of books or the brilliant windows and the giant hourglass. She threw her saddlebags to the ground and started scanning the shelves. She knew there were books on magic in here. This is where the other Twilight got all her information from, so there would have to be something for her too.

She pulled a few books on basic spellcasting from the shelf and levitated them back to where she was setting up with her. They were heavier than everything else she'd tried to lift yet, but she refused to let them fall.

With that done, she grabbed the first scroll and opened it. She couldn't let Princess Celestia know she wasn't the Twilight from this world. She only had a few days to catch up to her counterpart's…

A few days.

But she was supposed to leave at noon tomorrow.

The scroll dropped from her grip and hit the ground with a *clack.*

She'd be back home, with that damned brace around her neck and that damned Watcher scrutinizing her every move.

She'd finally attained the perfect life she always wanted, and it would be gone by tomorrow at lunch. Nopony but her would know. And nopony but her would be able to grieve about it.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair!

A sob escaped her throat. Followed by another. And then she collapsed to the ground and began bawling into her hooves.

She didn't want to go back.

Not to that so-called life.

Not with everypony fussing over her, forcing her to adhere to their schedules. Not a moment to herself.

Where every action was planned out beforehoof by somepony else.

Where every damn emotion had to be suppressed in the name of public image.

Where any attempt to improve herself was rejected and denied by her superiors!

She would sooner die than go back there!

After a while her tears had stopped, but she hadn't moved. She needed to think, to figure out what to do next.

She meant it. She'd rather die than go back to where she came from.

Her future was finally in her own hooves.

She sat up, gazing at the hourglass.

It would all be gone by lunch tomorrow if she didn't do something.

There were hoofsteps behind her.

Princess Twilight turned around to face the librarian. Her distress must have been plastered across her face, and she imagined that her hair had probably been messed up in her crying.

“Are you alright, sweetie?” the librarian asked. Her concern was honest. It would have been comforting if Princess Twilight was looking for sympathy at the moment.

“I'm fine,” she rasped, smiling. It was an empty smile, but before the mirror all of her smiles had been that way. She knew how to make it convincing.

“You should probably be spending more time outside or…”

“I'm fine!” Princess Twilight repeated, perhaps with a bit more force than she needed to, “Please. I just want to be alone.”

The librarian nodded, looking very unsure of how to handle the situation, and barely gave a second glance as she left.

Once she was sure she was alone, Princess Twilight stood up and started looking at the shelves again. She had an idea of the spell she needed. Hopefully it wasn't anything more difficult than a class four spell.

Author's Note

In this chapter, a young Jet Set makes an involuntary cameo.
I'm only pointing it out because I don't think you'd be able to tell who it was otherwise.

Under a Detective's Lens

Raven had stepped out for a moment to get more shampoo, leaving Twilight alone in the luxury bath. She took the moment to let her muscles relax and soak in the hot water. After the day she had, she certainly enjoyed the opportunity.

Admittedly, I am going to miss being waited on hoof and tail, she mused, but overall the princess' life isn't quite as simple as I thought. No wonder Celestia is always too busy to…

She frowned and sighed just as Raven reentered

“Is something wrong, Twilight?” she asked.

“No, just thinking.”

“Well,” Raven said, pouring the shampoo over her mane, “I know that today is… special for you, but I want you to remember that I'm always here for you to turn to, okay? You don't need to be alone.”

“I remember,” Twilight said, not sure why Raven was being so curious. Or why she sounded quite so… doleful. What was so special about today anyway? She thought back to what the guard had said earlier.

And then a bucket of water was overturned onto her head.

Later that night, as Twilight climbed into bed, there was a knock at the door and an attendant entered.

“Princess Twilight, I just came to remind you that you have an early morning tomorrow. Breakfast will be cut short accordingly so you can make your meeting with the visiting dignitaries.”

After a full day of princess work, Twilight figured she might as well see just how far her authority went.

“Miss,” she said, “I want to visit my parents tomorrow morning.”

The attendant looked taken aback. She stuttered something and then quickly left. Twilight was more confused than ever. Apparently the princess didn't assert herself very often at all.

Still, Twilight really wanted to meet the princess' parents. Scientific curiosity demanded it! She really wanted to know what they were like in this world.

♦ ◊ ♦

“Please!” Princess Twilight cried.

“I'm sorry, Miss Twilight, but you have to go to dinner.” The librarian looked nervous.

“I just have to keep going a little longer,” she pleaded.

“I know you enjoy studying, dear, but this really isn't healthy for you.”

The princess was on the verge of tears. The librarian shuffled uncomfortably.

“Alright,” she finally relented, “You can take the books with you. But you must go to dinner now!”

This was enough for Princess Twilight. She lifted the books with her levitation and slid them into her saddlebags, feeling proud at how easy it now seemed.

She assumed that dinner was in the same cafeteria that she had eaten breakfast in. Fortunately she'd grown a bit more familiar with the layout of the main hallways over the past day and a half. Finding her way there would be no problem.

The problem was that she was intercepted by a guard on her way there.

“Twily, there you are.” The young guard smiled. “Princess Celestia wanted me to tell you that you'd be eating in the main dining room tonight. I gotta go now. Talk to you later, Twily.”

The guard leaned in and nuzzled her affectionately before continuing on. Princess Twilight glanced after him, confused.

“This whole world is populated by weirdos,” she muttered to herself, “I hope the dining hall is where I remember it.”

As she walked away, she could not shake the feeling that there was something familiar about that guard she encountered. Something about the way he talked… the way he looked at her…

Not only was the dining hall exactly where she thought it was, it looked exactly the same as she remembered. She had to sigh at how boring it was. She'd much prefer to be back in the cafeteria. As usual, the dining hall was filled with Canterlot's high class and elite. Princess Twilight thought she recognized a few faces here and there, but she had learned well by this point that not everything was exactly as it seemed with this world.

Her seat was located just beside the head of the table, where Princess Celestia would sit when she arrived. Princess Twilight sat down, regarded her meal with mild interest, and then magically pulled her book out of her saddlebags.

Celestia arrived late, making it to the dining hall after the first course had been served and removed. Princess Twilight was still reading, levitating the book to practice her levitation endurance.

“Hello Twilight,” Celestia said as she sat down. She briefly acknowledged the mare sitting on her other side as well.

Princess Twilight replied with a meek “hello”, not lifting her eyes from the book.

“What are you reading?” the older princess asked.

“Just reviewing. Can't be too prepared, after all.” She could feel the fur on the back of her neck standing up.

“You know, Twilight, you could relax just a little,” Celestia said gently, “I know your studying is very important, but you are more than ahead of your class.”

Princess Twilight didn't reply.

Celestia continued, “What have you been up to while I've been gone? With the castle all to yourself, there is a lot a filly can get herself into.”

“Mostly studying,” Princess Twilight, still not looking up, “I did a little walking around, though.”

“That sounds pleasant. Meet anypony interesting?”

The princess winced, but insisted, “No; I didn't meet anypony.”

“Well, that's too bad. At least you didn't get into any trouble though.”

“Yeah…” The princess closed her book and contemplated asking to be excused. But this Princess Celestia seemed too interested in her to simply let her walk away without explanation. And she was pretty eager to see what else they would serve. So far, all her meals had been much better than what she got at home.

The rest of the meal carried on in silence. Celestia didn't press her any further, but Princess Twilight could feel her gaze. It was not nearly as aggressive as Father Watcher's, but the disappointment was there.

After dinner, Princess Twilight headed straight to her room. There, she sat on her bed and thought about her possibilities. After a while, she curled up in her blankets and tried to drift off to sleep.

She had to reach a decision by tomorrow at noon, and the book she needed was on the desk.

Sleep would not come. But her tears would.

♦ ◊ ♦

Princess Celestia stood outside her young apprentice's door, listening to the sound of sound her student weeping inside.

That was it. Tomorrow she would have her answer. No matter what it took.

♦ ◊ ♦

Watcher heard the clock chime the tenth hour, but he didn't move. His gaze was locked on the jar of black goo as if he could convince himself that it was somehow responsible for what was going on.

He could not get Princess Twilight out of his mind, neither her behavior nor her ridiculous request to see her parents.

He had to figure out what was wrong. It had gone on long enough.

He would have his answer by the end of tomorrow.

First he pulled back out his flask and filled it another batch of the vile substance. Setting that aside, he leaned back and started poking at the shadows with his magics.

The shadows pushed back. One of them separated from the rest and scooted closer to him for instructions.

“Tomorrow you will follow Princess Twilight all day,” he said, “Note anything even slightly out of the ordinary. Once she has fallen asleep, report to me. If you come across something blatantly significant, report to me at the first possible opportunity. If you encounter a hostile force of some kind that is responsible for her behavior, do not confront it. I must know what is going on behind my back.”

The shadow acknowledged his directions and faded back in with the others.

Feeling ready for anything, Watcher returned the container to its rightful place and headed off to bed.

Broken Loyalties – Part 1

After dropping her breakfast off, Watcher stood off to the side and watched Princess Twilight. He frowned as she asked a passing waiter for some silverware. For a while, she simply prodded at her food with a spoon. For a while, he worried that she would not eat it, but finally she scooped up a spoonful and ate it. Watcher sighed a breath of relief and came forward.

“Princess Twilight,” he said, getting her attention, “Your request to see your parents was way out of line. You know better than that.” He sat down beside her and said, “Look, you have clearly been feeling a bit off. I am going to give you the morning off to rest, okay?”

“Thank you Father,” Princess Twilight said. He could feel the insincerity in her voice. “But I still want to see my parents.”

“Twilight…” Watcher began softly, but he faltered at her expression. She was absolutely sure about this. “I'll see about arranging a time for it next week,” he lied. She didn't look happy at this, but said nothing else.

As he left, Watcher turned to the shadows and nodded. The shadow shifted in response to show it was paying attention.

♦ ◊ ♦

Princess Twilight decided that cereal may not be the best, but it was a much better breakfast than bland old oats.

“Mail call,” somepony shouted as they entered the cafeteria, and the collected staff let out a cheer, Princess Twilight included.

The staff had to eat breakfast a little later than everypony else so they could serve all the visitors and guards on time, but Princess Twilight discovered that waiting a little later to eat was worth it; talking to the staff was just so much more fun than interacting with the usual guests at the castle. And she got to get up later too!

“And there's even one for you,” the delivery pony said, levitating an envelope onto the table by her bowl.

Curious; who could be sending her a letter? Princess Twilight pushed her bowl to the side and picked up the envelope. The address was unfamiliar to her, so she tore the wrapper off and unfolded the letter.

Dear Twilight, it began, You're father and I…

The princess' magic faltered for a moment when she read that. She read that first bit again, just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating those words or something.

Some of the staff turned to look as Princess Twilight threw the doors open and ran out. She ran blindly down the halls, trying each of the doors until she found one that was unlocked. It was a storage closet. She rushed inside and slammed the door shut.

Remember what the scroll said, she thought frantically, straining to remember the illumination spell.

Her first attempt was abortive, resulting in nothing more than a brief flash of light.

Come on! She tried again, pushing as much energy as she could into her horn.

A delicate light emanated from her horn. It was enough. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she grabbed the letter in her hooves and brought it close to read. When she was done, she read it again.

Dear Twilight,

Your father and I miss you. It's only been a week, but without you and your brother the house is noticeably empty. I know that your studies are important, but don't forget to have a little fun while your there. Tell the princess that we said hello.

Love,

Mom

And she read it again. And again. And again and again until she couldn't wipe the tears away fast enough. Before long the frail light went out, leaving her to sob in the darkness.

♦ ◊ ♦

The darker sunlight was something that Twilight still could not get over. Now, outside in the gardens, it was having an obvious effect on the plant life. The flowers and bushes must have been well-watered and well-fertilized, but they still weren't the lush and fertile flora that Twilight saw when she normally glanced out the window.

She could only imagine the state of other parts of Equestria that didn't have access to the same gardening supplies that Canterlot could afford.

“Look at me,” she thought, “The whole morning to do whatever I want, and I do nothing. How ironic. If I'd only been able to do that before, I would have never even found this world. And yet I still have nothing to prove I was even here.”

She sighed. There had to be something she could do before she left. Maybe visit the spa to see Raven one last time? Plus, she still hadn't figured out where her brother was or even if he existed in this world. Even if she wasn't allowed to visit Princess Twilight's parents, there should still be enough to figure out the truth about Shining Armor.

With her memory, Twilight had been able to remember the layout pretty easily, and finding the way back to the spa was no problem. She said hi to some of the spa attendants before spotting Lavender Scent.

“Mrs. Lavender,” she called out, “Is Raven here?”

“Twilight?! What are you doing here?” she said, looking concerned.

“Watcher let me have the morning off.”

“He did?!”

“I wanted to talk with Raven a bit.”

“O-okay. That just seems… a bit unusual for Watcher.” She did look a little worried.

“I know,” Twilight replied, “But there's just no predicting that stallion.”

“I guess not,” Lavender Scent conceded, “I'll go get Raven. Are you feeling okay?”

“I'm feeling fine,” Twilight said, “It's just… been a hard couple of days is all.”

Lavender Scent nodded sympathetically, as if she understood what Twilight was actually referring to. She left Twilight standing there, slipping off to find Raven, who appeared a moment later with a fearful expression and her mane jiggling from her sudden stop.

Seeing that Twilight was okay, she relaxed and asked, “What's up, sis?”

“I have the morning off,” she explained, “I wanted to take the opportunity to talk to you a bit. Shining Armor always told me that I should value those in life while I still had them.” She was lying. Shining Armor had never told him that; it was a quote from an author, though she couldn't remember which one at the moment.

When she mentioned Shining Armor's name, Twilight had expected Raven to react with confusion, or maybe indifference. Something to indicate that she did or didn't recognize the name. She did not expect Raven to seize up and her face to light up with fear.

“What's wrong?!” Twilight asked. Her stomach churned at the thought that she had made a mistake.

“It's… nothing,” Raven said, trying to look relaxed, “Um… Shining Armor told you that?”

Twilight nodded.

“Well… I'm glad to see you've taken that to heart. What did you want to talk about?”

Twilight thought about it for a moment. Then she asked, “Do you remember the day we first met?”

“Clearly.”

“Tell me what it was like for you.”

Raven smiled and nuzzled her affectionately. “Alright, sis,” she said warmly, “When I woke up, I knew it was going to be a bad day. I was already late and my hair was…”

♦ ◊ ♦

Twilight got no answers from Raven, but hearing how they had met had given her a warm feeling inside. All she knew for sure was that asking questions about the princess' family seemed taboo. It didn't feel right leaving without knowing the full truth, but on the other hoof there was no reason why they couldn't do this again. A good experiment could always be recreated, after all.

Of course, that only applied if she could get back home in the first place.

Now that it was time to go, the inner hallways of the castle were no easier to navigate than when Twilight first got lost in her world. It only took her about five minutes to realize that she had no idea where she was or where to find the mirror. So naturally, she did the only thing a filly in her position could do.

“Come on!” she pleaded, pulling at the door handle. This was only about the tenth door she tried, but she was so lost and there were so many doors that she was counting on the magic of the mirror to pull her in.

She gave up on that door, almost swearing. There has to be some kind of spell or something I can use, she thought. She wordlessly cycled through the list of spells she knew in her head, most of which were dismissed offhand.

It was too long ago to use a path tracer spell, she knew, But what about…

Seeing what was ahead of her caused Twilight to come a complete standstill. All of the doors in this hallway had been closed when she turned down it. Now one was wide open. She walked a bit closer, the fur on her neck standing on end.

Twilight levitated the nearest Illumination Stone from the wall. She thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye, but turning to look there was nothing there. She was jumping at shadows, apparently.

Levitating the stone in front of her, Twilight slowly entered into the familiar room. Boxes lined the walls, and sitting in the middle of the room, a tarp lying at its base, was the large mirror. Princess Twilight was sitting on the other side of the glass fully immersed in a heavy book.

“Nice shoes,” Twilight remarked. The princess jerked back in surprise at the sound of her voice.

“Oh, you're here,” she said, gently lying the book down beside her. She looked uncomfortable, constantly fidgeting where she sat. She refused to look Twilight in the eye.

“Are you ready?” Twilight asked, sliding out of the princess' boots.

Princess Twilight squirmed. “Actually,” she said, taking a deep breath, “I've thought about it, and I've decided that I'm not going back.” Twilight frowned in confusion as the princess went on. “I've realized that this is where I belong. I love this world too much to give it up.”

“You can't do that!” Twilight cried, pulling the brace off with her magic, “That's my life.”

“Not anymore,” her double said, standing up.

Twilight grimaced and glanced up. She read, “Erised stra ehru oyt…!”

Before she could finished, the princess' horn flashed and the glass filled with cracks before the image disappeared.

Twilight stared at her dumbfounded expression in the mirror. She leapt forward, pawing at the glass and whimpering, “No, no, no,” but the reflection copied her every move.

It was just a mirror.

She tried the spell anyway, “Erised stra ehry oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.”

There was no change.

“Erised stra ehry oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. Erised stra ehry oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi! Erised… erised…”

Her reflection was crying.

“BUCK!” She slammed her hoof against the glass as hard as she could, but it merely absorbed the blow.

“Buck!” she cursed at herself again, “How could you let this happen!? How could you…”

There had to be somepony who could help. Somepony. Anypony. Leaving the Illumination Stone and her outfit where they lie, she turned and fled.

♦ ◊ ♦

Princess Twilight stood still for a full minute after she cast her spell. The mirror had shattered and the glass lay in shards at her hooves. There was no back to the mirror, no board that the glass was placed in front of. It was basically an empty doorway now. That didn't make sense, but nothing about it did.

That glass looked sharp.

She should probably tell somepony, or at least find a broom.

She wondered briefly who made the mirror in the first place. That seemed like an odd question to forget about.

Why was this room so cold?

It didn't matter. She had done it. A smile crossed Princess Twilight's lips.

She was free.

Finally free.

Her knees turned to jello as relief flooded through her. Tears ran down her muzzle as she laughed. It was over. All over. And now she had everything she wanted.

Wiping away the tears but keeping her smile, Twilight picked the spell book back up and turned around. The slam of the door on the way out drowned out the tune she was humming, but only for an instant. That slam was the sound of her closing out her past, and now there was nothing that was going to end her new song.

First things first, she needed to bring the book back to the library. To think she'd been so nervous! In the end the spell was no harder to cast on the mirror than on her unfortunate hoofmirror. And yet she had insisted to herself that she should keep rereading the spell just to be prepared. She'd need to get a new one of those. A new hoofmirror, that is. She was already compiling her next shopping list.

Princess Twilight was only aware of the sound of hooffalls behind her just before she heard a voice call out to her.

“Twilight,” Celestia said, getting the princess' attention.

“Hello Princess,” she replied merrily. She smiled at her new teacher, and the older princess smiled warmly back.

“How are you feeling?” Celestia asked, opting to walk alongside her student.

Any earlier discomfort Princess Twilight had in her presence was all but gone. Sure, it would take a while to get used to this Celestia, but she had all the time in the world now. What could possibly give her away now anyway?

“I feel great,” she said, glad to be honest with her for once.

“That's good to hear…” There was clearly something else she wanted to say, but she quickly changed the subject, adding instead, “Spike arrived earlier today. One of the attendants brought him up to your room; he's waiting for you there.”

“Oh, that's… good to hear. Why's he in my room?”

Celestia stopped. Twilight stopped too, the fur on the back of her neck standing up. Nervous, she turned around to face Celestia, and screamed.

Broken Loyalties – Part 2

“I can't let you in, Princess Twilight,” the guard insisted, “Princess Celestia only just returned a few hours ago and is still resting. She cannot take visitors yet, not even you. I'm sorry.”

Twilight gritted her teeth, making no effort to hide her scowl from the guards. They were plainly nervous by this unusual display of aggression, but Twilight didn't give a damn. She turned and began running for the library.

The guards on duty there immediately snapped to attention at the sight of her, but spread out their wings to prevent her from entering.

“Whoa there, Princess. You know the library is off-limits. You have no business in there.”

“Yes I do,” she told them, “And I have every right to move about as I please. Now move before I make you.”

The guards recoiled at her words, but did not stand down.

“The library is not the proper place for a princess,” the other one insisted.

Twilight took an offensive stance, ready to put those few combat spells she knew to work. The pegasi cringed, horrified by the little monster their princess had become.

At that moment a new voice rang out.

“Princess Twilight!” the newly arrived guard cried, “I've been looking everywhere for you. Father Watcher has instructed me to escort you to his office this instant.”

Twilight gave one last sour glance at the pegasus guards and followed the newcomer. She couldn't imagine what Watcher wanted with her, but Princess Twilight had mentioned that he was supposed to be a powerful magician. Maybe she could swindle some information out of him that she could use.

♦ ◊ ♦

Watcher stood outside the door his shadow had brought him too. Though the hallway was dark, he could feel the shadows themselves skirting as far away from the door as they possibly could.

Princess Twilight was probably already being escorted to his office, so he'd better be quick.

He tried the door handle with his magic, but it didn't budge. A spell to unlock it made no difference.

“Fine then,” he muttered, summoning up all his magic.

He grabbed the door and pulled with all his might. A loud groan filled the air, followed by the sound of splintering wood. With one final grunt, Watcher ripped the door off of its hinges and threw it to the side, exposing the doorway into the dark room.

The shadows shrank back even further. With a contemptuous snort, he cast a quick spell that lit the room up like a thousand suns.

The cause of the shadows' discomfort was immediately obvious. Watchers scanned the discarded brace, boots, and Illumination Stone, but quickly turned his attention to the mirror.

Whatever it was, it was old, and it was radiating magic at an unprecedented rate. The room could have been filled twice over with the magic it gave off in the minute Watcher was in the room. It should have bled through the walls and filled the castle. It should have been noticeable from the moon!

He didn't have the faintest idea what it really was, or how it could so blatantly disregard the Law of Conservation of Magic, since all that magic it gave off could not simply just vanish as it seemed to. And as a well-traveled master sorcerer, he was stumped as to what kind of magic it was even using. He'd seen dark magics up close, felt it pump through his very arteries, and yet this was entirely new.

“And you're old,” he added out loud, reaching forward a hoof and stroking the glass. There was no reflection, and it took Watcher a moment to realize it was because this was not reflective glass. The mirror had no back; he should have been able to see right through to the other wall. But beyond the glass was just a dark, hazy area.

“You're not even really connected to our world, are you?” he asked. The mirror made no reply, but Watcher smiled anyway. He turned to leave, finishing with, “And I think I know what that means.”

♦ ◊ ♦

The guard opened the office door for her and told Twilight to wait inside. She obliged, glad to be away from these other ponies.

Watcher hadn't arrived, allowing Twilight an opportunity to glance around the office freely. A lot of her anger dissolved as she did. This was not an office. This was a place of science. There were burners and beakers and scrolls upon scrolls all loaded up on the wall-to-wall shelving and cubbies. Tables were laid out across the expansive floor where experiments had been set up for study.

Why hadn't she spent any time in here?

Maybe there was something in here that could help her. If nothing about the mirror itself, then maybe something about portals or alternate dimension theories. Just something!

There was no obvious method of organization. Scrolls were thrown into cubbies seemingly at random. The first cubby she came to had three scrolls, one about enchanted staves, one about a population boom in the city of Slippery Rock (Odd name, she thought), and one about the study of old medications. If she tried to go through each cubby one at a time, she would never get through. There must have been over a hundred scrolls. Maybe if she had perfected her scroll-sorting spell, but that was what she got for not staying diligent in her studies.

The desk maybe. She ran over, pushing the chair out of the way, and pulled at one of the drawers. It was jammed; it even resisted her unlocking spell. The next one she tried simply had some metal equipment in it, and the one after that was empty except for a bit of gemstone jewelry. Magic seemed to pour out of the gems and spill out of the drawer, causing her to shiver. She quickly closed that drawer.

Next Twilight climbed up onto the chair so she could see the top of the desk. There was a calender lying out next to a pile of letters. A sealed envelope was pushed to the side next to the candle, but nothing else of interest.

“Nothing,” she sighed, “Nothing at all.”

She jumped down, landing next to the drawer she could not open. She hit her hoof against it in anger, only to hear something rattling around inside. So she grabbed the handle in her magic and pulled as hard as she could. It would not open. She told herself this was pointless, but kept pulling.

Just as she was about to give up, Twilight gave the handle a firm jerk, smiling in satisfaction when the drawer flew open.

Okay,” she said eagerly, glancing in. There were a number of scrolls inside. She pulled one out and began reading.

Disappointment flooded her as she realized this was just another letter. But when she scanned the contents, her heart skipped a beat.

Father Watcher:

Celestia's choice to train a student concerns us greatly. You have done well in finding appointment as her caretaker. Ensure that she does not become a threat. We have come to far over these past thousand years to be foiled during our hour of triumph.

On a related note, the council has agreed to your proposal. In nine weeks we will send you a fresh container of the Vile which you may use over the course of the next two years. If you have made significant progress by then, more will be sent to continue the process.

May the Dark One rise again.

The letter was dated several years ago and signed with a name that Twilight didn't recognize. She threw that scroll away and picked up another. It was much more recent, just a year and a half ago.

Father Watcher:

Our mutual friend has informed the council that Celestia is having a private doctor flown in from the Demarchatic States to check on her health. Our friend insists that his particular field of research, magically-instigated illnesses, may suggest that Celestia is at least partially aware of what we have been doing to her. Your usual methods of hiding the truth may not be enough, if this doctor really knows as much about dark magic as we've been told.

In four days a young stallion shall be arriving in Canterlot with a few new spells we have created that we believe you can modify to better disguise the true cause of Celestia's illness. We are already working to stall the doctor.

May the Dark One rise again.

Twilight's stomach turned, and the fur on the back of her neck stood up.

She quickly grabbed another scroll and began reading. This one was a short list of spells. It wasn'tspecified, but it was obvious from the descriptions that these were dark magics.

At the very bottom of the drawer was a small book. She pulled it out, only to drop it with a small shriek. The book was bound in what looked to be some kind of tightly-stretched animal skin.

She almost lost her lunch.

Shaking, Twilight threw open the book to read the first page.

The Samoyed Bible, the first page read, Property of Father Watcher.

Twilight's mouth was dry and she was shaking in fear.

“He's a cult member,” she breathed.

“Not quite.”

Author's Note

The Samoyedic people are actually a group of people in Siberia. The name refers to the languages they speak. They are not actually an evil cult, and surprisingly not even all that evil (for Russians, at least). The reason I bring it up in this chapter will be made evident in the next.

A Warped World

“A more appropriate term would be 'cult leader'.”

Twilight didn't move. She wanted to. She was screaming at herself to get out of there. Her breathing was shallow and rapid. She didn't want to look at him. She didn't want to see the face of a traitor.

“Though the other members of the council would prefer that I call myself a 'director'. They don't want to admit my superiority. You may call me whatever you like, but I would like to know who you really are.”

She turned around. He was standing there in front of the door. She hadn't heard it open or close, as if he wasn't there one moment and then he was. There was a smirk on his muzzle, as though he had just gotten the punchline to a really elaborate joke.

“Not that exposing me would do any good,” he went on, “I am just one of twelve on the council, after all. We have high-ranking positions across Equestria. In fact, you met a few of them at our little dinner party. Taking me out would undo very little, not that I plan to give you that chance.”

She was rooted to the spot. Why couldn't she move? She had to run away and find help, or beat him unconscious and tie him up, or…

“But, of course,” he added, levitating a stool from its spot to in front of his desk, “I shouldn't be surprised that you ignored the rule about not going through my stuff. After all…” suddenly his smirk vanished and his eyes narrowed. His next words were slathered in loathing.

“You're not my Twilight!”

Twilight snapped out of her trance and rushed forward. She had gotten about half a meter, not far enough to even charge up her concussion blast, before she was wrapped in Watcher's own magic and dragged into the air, landing hard on the stool in front of his desk.

She was bound in place by magic, once more unable to move. She couldn't even open her mouth to curse at the unicorn as he passed by the desk and towards a small safe. Twilight managed a growl, but it was a pitiful sound. From the safe Watcher procured a large glass bottle of some strange black liquid, levitating it with him over to the desk, where he sat it down.

To be able to carry both the massive and probably very heavy bottle and still bind Twilight in place, he must have indeed been a powerful spellcaster indeed.

Once the bottle was safely on his desk, Watcher turned and headed through a door into his back room, breaking his line of sight with her; rookie mistake. Twilight smirked inwardly and began flexing all of her muscles at once in order to break free, just like Shining Armor had taught her to do in one of their unofficial “defense against the dark arts” lessons she would often convince him to give her. A filly had to be prepared for anything, after all.

After a moment, her imaginary smirk faded.

That's impossible! she thought. She strained her muscles even harder, but did not budge.

He was out of the room! There was a wall separating them. Maybe somepony like Celestia could pull off that kind of trick, but for any normal unicorn there must be a line of sight to use this level of magic on something!

Twilight's heart sank as Watcher reentered the room, levitating a platter carrying a teapot and two teacups. Pulling up his chair, he laid the platter down and took his seat.

“Now,” he said, pouring himself a cup of tea from the teapot, “You are going to tell me where you are from and where my Twilight is.”

Twilight felt the muscles in her jaw relax. She now had control over her mouth.

“I'm not telling you anything!” she shouted, praying that a guard would hear her through the door.

And just like that, any control she had was gone.

“Tsk, tsk,” Watcher said, setting his tea aside, “Now, I'm only going to warn you once. I do not like being denied what I want.”

He took the other teacup and levitated the glass jar, carefully pouring the black liquid into the cup. He explained, “This is called the Vile. I imagine you read about it?”

Twilight's jaw relaxed again, but she kept her mouth clammed shut. Watcher waited a moment for her answer, and when it didn't come he just shook his head sadly and pushed the teacup of Vile to the side.

“What else do you know?” he asked. She didn't answer. He continued, “Fine. You're not going anywhere anyway. I'll explain.

“My order is over a thousand years old. We first learned about the Dark One through old cave paintings depicting the battle it had with a legendary pair of alicorn twins, where it was left in a weakened state and imprisoned beyond the stars. We work towards preparing the world for its return.

“My job is acting as Princess Celestia's advisor. It's a role we've managed to keep secure for over six hundred years, slowly poisoning her to ensure that she will be too weak when the Dark One-”

“Does it have an actual name?” Twilight asked acidly.

Watcher glared at her. “It does,” he told her, “But we prefer not to use it. You may call it Todote the Samoyed, conqueror of... stop laughing!”

Twilight's mouth was jammed shut on her tongue, causing her to whimper.

You shouldn't be laughing anyway, she told herself, This is serious… no matter how silly that name is.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle was brought on as Celestia's student. She never said it, but we knew that she was training a replacement in case the worst happened. We were terrified. I took advantage of my role as her personal advisor to put myself in charge of overseeing her upbringing. That way I could ensure that she would never unlock the true potential that Celestia saw in her and bring us down.

“Then I had an idea. I could use the new princess against Celestia herself. By feeding her the Vile over the years, I could slowly temper her into a suitable host body for the Dark One, giving it a mortal form with immense magical potential. Otherwise, after such a long imprisonment, it would have been too weak to put up too much resistance. With this plan, we would not need to wait as long for Celestia to be weak enough to be overthrown. Fortunately, she was already too weak to sense the Vile growing inside her student, and none of her precious mages would begin to know what to look for. But I could sense it, and I could see it growing.

“And then you appeared, pure of heart and rebellious. For a while I was so worried, but now I know better.” He took a sip of tea before asking, “So, how does the mirror work?”

Twilight's breath caught in her throat.

“That's right, I know about the mirror. And somehow I'm going to get my Twilight back. Fortunately, with you around, I don't have to keep feeding her this… sickening goo. Speaking of which…”

Twilight's arms extended to take the cup that was levitated to her.

“Drink up,” Watcher said, smirking again, “It's just about all you're going to get from now on. And maybe it will loosen your tongue a bit.”

The tea cup was raised to Twilight's mouth, which opened to accept it.

“If you tell me what I want, I will even give you a blanket and pillow for your cell,” he taunted.

This was wrong. She had to get out of here. She couldn't let this traitor win. She could feel the cup against her lips. The smell of the vile hit her nose and she wanted to retch. Her head was pounding. Watcher frowned. Twilight was shaking. She was shaking despite his magical hold. For some reason she would not take a drink.

The cup fell and shattered against the ground. Twilight let out a feral roar and twisted her entire body, trying to jerk free. She felt like she was on fire. There was a bright glow in the room, and it took her a moment to realize that it was coming from her.

She was having a magical surge. This had happened once before, she remembered, when she had her audition for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, the day she became Celestia's apprentice. And the look of terror on Watcher's face meant that it gave her the upper hoof.

Twilight gave off a small burst of magic, directing it at the open jar of Vile. The jar flew back, spraying Watcher with the black substance. He screamed and let go of Twilight, and she dashed towards the door as he tried to furiously wipe it from his coat.

The door must have been locked, but it yielded to Twilight's magic with no resistance. She took off immediately in the direction of the throne room. Two unicorn guards were after her. She could hear them calling at her to stop. Without even turning around to establish a line of sight, Twilight cast a quick charm that caused them to trip over their own feet.

Thank you, Moondancer, Twilight prayed silently. She was still riding the high from her magical surge, but she could already feel it fading. But she was almost there. She just had to hold out a little longer.

The two guards outside the throne room moved to stop her, but Twilight didn't even slow. She barreled past them, throwing open the large double doors with her magic. These doors were harder to handle due to their sheer size, and as she passed through them Twilight began to stumble.

“Princess… Princess Celestia!” she gasped, looking up at the throne and freezing in place.

She had been expecting Princess Celestia; she hadn't expected what she found.

The mare sitting on the throne was old and haggard. Her mane was faded and greying in places, and hanging straight instead of flowing freely. Her coat was lackluster too, missing that sparkling radiance that Twilight adored. She was slouched and fatigued, though clearly startled by Twilight's sudden entrance.

“Twilight?” she asked hoarsely, struggling to stand up, “What's wrong?”

Twilight snapped out of it and ran up to the princess, burying her face in the princess's chest like a frightened child.

“Oh Princess I'm so sorry!” she sobbed, “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I came from another world where I'm Princess Celestia's apprentice, and I was wandering the halls one day when I came across a mirror that showed me this world, and I discovered this world's version of me and we agreed to change places for a few days but it turns out that Watcher is a cult leader trying to poison you so that he can raise some dark god and let it take your place and I'm so sorry I didn't mean for any of this to happen I swear!”

Twilight paused to take a breath, and Princess Celestia placed a hoof on her shoulder. Looking up, Twilight saw that the princess wasn't confused, just worried. Twilight's heart sank. The princess didn't believe her.

And then, to her surprise, Princess Celestia nodded and looked up towards the door. Twilight followed her gaze and her blood turned to ice. Watcher was standing in the room with four guards. He slammed the doors shut with his magic.

“Princess Celestia,” he said, “I apologize for this. Young Princess Twilight hasn't been feeling well lately, and I'm afraid that she's been letting her imagination run wild. I assure you this won't happen again.”

“No,” Twilight murmured, hugging the princess even tighter.

But Princess Celestia simply pushed her to the side and stepped between her and Watcher.

“Guards,” she said, strength returning to her voice, “take this stallion to the dungeon to await further questioning.”

Watcher couldn't believe his ears. He asked, “Celestia, what are you doing? You can't truly believe her! By Sleipnir, I'm your adviser!"

“Guards, you have my orders.”

The guards moved towards Watcher. One of them was levitating a magic-suppressing collar in his direction.

The astonishment Watcher's his face melted into rage.

“NO!” he cried. And to Twilight's horror the shadows on the floor leapt up and grabbed onto the guards. They struggled, but the shadows slid into their mouths and noses, and after a moment they simply stopped struggling and turned to face Celestia.

“That kind of dark magic is low even for your traitorous flank,” Celestia jeered. Twilight had to wince at the sound of her idol swearing.

Watcher simply snorted and began walking forward. His gaze went past Celestia directly to Twilight.

“You're going to pay for fucking with us, girl,” he promised.

Celestia took an offensive stance, but Twilight knew that she stood no chance against four trained guards and Watcher himself.

Then the double doors burst open and for a moment Twilight was blinded. She had to quickly turn away, and when she peaked again she saw that the possessed guards had collapsed. Hovering in the air above a scared-witless Watcher was Princess Celestia – her Princess Celestia – glowing with a blinding white light that almost made her impossible to look at. Her pupils were gone, replaced by the even brighter light that emanated from her eyes, and her expression was one of pure hate.

The native princess seemed to perk up at the sight of the newcomer, who grabbed the mortified Watcher in her magic and pulled him up off the ground, where he began to shriek in agony.

“No,” Twilight murmured, realizing what she was doing, “No!”

She ran forward, past the native Princess Celestia who was still looking on with awe, and stopped before her mentor.

“You can't do this!” she cried. Princess Celestia glanced away from her prey and down at her. “It's not right. You can't kill him!” She made no response, nor did she let him go. “Please,” Twilight whimpered.

The princess's face softened, and the light emanating from her began to fade. She floated down, letting go of Watcher and letting him hit the ground hard, where he stopped moving. As the last remnants of her magical surge died, Princess Celestia looked down at Twilight with sorry eyes.

Author's Note

Todote is the Samoyed god of death. I couldn't find anything more about it than that, but I couldn't think up a name any sillier or any more unique than "Todote the Samoyed", so I went with it.

Self Reflection

When Princess Celestia landed, Princess Twilight, still wearing her red shoes as well as Twilight's saddlebags for some reason, slid down from her back and to the floor. She quickly looked away from the others in the room, too ashamed to confront them, and simply observed the unconscious body of one of the guards.

The native Celestia came forward. The visiting Celestia turned her attention away from Twilight to exchange a knowing smile.

“Hello Tia,” Twilight's mentor said.

“Nice to see you again too,” Princess Tia replied.

Twilight was stunned. The two shared a quick laugh before turning to their respective students. Their smiles had already vanished.

“Twilight, I thought you knew better,” Celestia said.

Princess Tia scolded her own student: “Young lady, I know you have been taught not to interfere with magic you didn't understand.”

“As soon as you realized how the mirror worked you should have left it alone and waited to talk to me about it.”

“Regardless of how you found it, you disregarded the rules we put in place to protect you from just this sort of situation.”

“Your curiosity is no excuse to disregard safety procedures. Given your own pension for scientific study, I should not have to explain that to you.”

“You could have been stuck in an unfamiliar place with no way home and leaving us with no idea of your whereabouts.”

The two Twilights just sat there and quietly took their reprimanding. Twilight bowed her head and began to cry. Princess Celestia was right, she should have known better. This was all her fault.

Her mentor scooted in closer and wrapped a wing around her. Looking up, Twilight saw no anger in her teacher's eyes or face.

“I can't tell you how glad I am that you're safe,” Celestia told her softly.

Twilight smiled the best she could and leaned in to nuzzle Celestia affectionately. Glancing over, she could see Princess Tia and Princess Twilight making up as well.

Princess Tia then turned her attention to them. Looking at Twilight, she said, “I am not sure how you did it, young lady, but you have my eternal gratitude for exposing Father Watcher's traitorous motives.” She glanced over at the body, and then at the unconscious guards around them, before adding, “We should probably get this mess cleaned up.”

The guards who arrived were more than a little confused to see the duplicates of their royal family, but quickly got to work on delivering the bodies to the infirmary. Twilight watched as Watcher's body was dragged off in a stretcher out the door and out of sight.

Princess Tia took her spot on her throne again, calling an assistant out to massage her aching muscles. Like the guards, the assistant could only stand there for a moment staring at the strange group before starting at her task. As she did, she continuously shifted her gaze between the four of them, not comprehending how this could be possible.

Princess Twilight sat by her teacher, gazing down at the floor. She had taken Twilight's saddlebags off and laid them nearby. Twilight stared at her, making no effort to conceal her contempt. The two Celestia's quietly examined each other for a while before either of them spoke.

“It has been a while,” Celestia finally acknowledged.

“Indeed. I never thought… I mean…”

“You've seen better days.”

Princess Tia nodded. “I thought it was just the aging process. I was so worried that something might happen. Now I realize I was betrayed…!” She let out a short series of coughs. Princess Twilight looked up at her with clear worry in her eyes. Then, for a second, she accidentally locked eyes with Twilight before quickly glancing away again.

When she recovered, Princess Tia levitated over a nearby glass of water. After a few sips, she looked mournfully at her drink. “To think that I could have been so much for my people… all that power, all that wisdom… now look at me!” The bitterness in her voice was almost too much for Twilight to bear, even if it wasn't really her own mentor saying it.

Celestia stepped forward and placed on booted hoof gently on her counterpart's shoulder, saying something softly to her that Twilight could not hear.

Finally, Twilight asked, “How did you know I was in trouble?”

“Well, I was able to tell that something was wrong right away, but I couldn't be sure what.” Turning to Tia, she added, “There is something evil in your Twilight. It is weak, but it reminds me of the dark monster.”

“He called it 'Vile',” Twilight added, “That's what he told me it was. He almost got me to drink some of it, but he said that he'd been using it on her ever since she first arrived.”

Princess Twilight looked mortified. All the blood drained from her face, giving her the appearance of somepony who was about to faint. Princess Tia quickly shook off her masseuse and grabbed the young filly in her arms, holding her close. She briefly told the assistant, “You may go now.”

“I'll find a way to fix that,” Princess Tia assured them, “What was it that specifically assured you she was not your student?”

“Well, when Twilight applied for a place in my school for gifted unicorns, her test was to hatch a dragon egg.” Princess Tia's eyes widened upon hearing this, as if the idea truly shocked her. “She succeeded, and I let her keep the baby dragon, which she named Spike. When they exchanged places, Spike was at her parent's house. He was dropped off this morning, and when I brought it up she clearly had no idea who Spike was.

“My initial anger at the revelation scared the poor girl half to death. After she had calmed down, I got her to explain what had happened. I didn't realize until arriving that something was terribly wrong. Fortunately, though the mirror was in shards” – Princess Twilight's face grew very red – “I was able to activate its magic and bring us here.”

“Fortunate for all of us that you did,” Princess Tia said. She let go of Princess Twilight and stood up. “We should continue discussing this over lunch.”

The public lunch was cancelled, much to the dismay of Princess Tia's guests. Lunch was prepared for the four of them by a very confused staff. Princess Tia took her place at the head of the table and Princess Twilight sat beside her. The sight of her own Celestia sitting anywhere but at the front of the table left an uncomfortable pit in Twilight's stomach. She tried to ignore it and sat down beside her.

“Twilight,” Princess Tia said. Twilight looked up, but she was talking to her own Twilight, whose eyes were puffy from her tears. “I'm so sorry I allowed all this to happen,” she said, “I never imagined that Father Watcher would be anything but a positive influence on our lives. I know how betrayed you must feel, and I'm sorry. You deserve so much more from me than I've been able to give you. Could you ever forgive me?”

Princess Twilight sniffed and nodded. Twilight caught Celestia herself watching her.

“Is there something you want to say?” she whispered.

Twilight should her head as the first course was placed in front of her. She wasn't all that hungry.

“Well if there is, you can tell me,” Celestia tried to assure her.

“I know,” Twilight insisted. Celestia rubbed Twilight's back with her hoof. Twilight gave a little smile of appreciation at the gesture.

“You really should forgive her,” Celestia whispered. Twilight didn't reply.

As they began eating, the two monarchs turned their attention towards other matters.

“So you think you're in any danger?” Twilight asked.

“I'm having the guards collect everything from Father Watcher's office so I can have it studied. If he really was a significant member of this cult, this will give us some insight into their better-kept secrets. For now, I think they will simply lie back and lick their wounds. Now that we are alerted to them, they won't risk further exposure until security measures have died down.”

“And if they have moles in security?” Celestia asked.

Twilight hastily added, “Watcher said that some of the other leaders of the cult were at the dinner party the other night.”

“Now that I know what we're looking for, my paladins will be on the case to root them out.”

Celestia asked, “Paladins?”

“They're my elite mages. Do you not have anything like them?”

“Yes, though the word refers to something else. What is your immediate move going to be?”

Princess Tia paused to think about the question. “I need to get back on my hooves and prove that I am the leader the people need.”

“I'd appreciate the chance to help however I can,” Celestia offered.

“…speaking of which, how are you going to get home?”

Twilight listened attentively for the answer. There was a knot in her stomach at the fear that they still might not be able to leave this world after all.

The first dish was removed and a second put in its place.

“Well, that's an interesting problem,” Celestia began, not easing Twilight's fear, “However the answer is remarkably simple. I believe, though this is some high-concept magical theory, that when a living being travels to another world, it… is still recognized as belonging to another universe.

“I believe the mirror sensed that your Twilight was a foreigner in my world, and thus despite being broken the magic within the mirror still allowed me to activate the portal to correct the problem. It should work returning home too. The downside is that without somepony from your world to come with me, I will not have the magical leverage I need to activate the portal ever again.”

“That's a shame,” Princess Tia said, “When do you have to leave?”

“I suggest we spend the rest of the afternoon together. It will give us the chance to discuss what we need to and wrap up any loose ends before we say goodbye.”

“I like that idea. Girls, what do you think?”

Princess Twilight grumbled something, and Twilight herself simply didn't respond.

The second plate was removed and a third dish served.

Celestia pursed her lips, but didn't comment, simply telling her counterpart, “Let's leave them be. I'm sure they have a lot to talk about.” She quickly downed the rest of her meal in the most un-princessly fashion imaginable and stood up.

Princess Tia nodded and did her best to stand up as well. After giving Princess Twilight a quick kiss on the forehead, she and Celestia exited together, leaving the two fillies alone.

Twilight poked at the food with her fork. She didn't want to look at Princess Twilight.

After a while, Princess Twilight spoke up. “Is there anything you want to do?”

“I just want to go home,” Twilight replied bitterly.

“I know,” Princess Twilight muttered weakly. Twilight looked over to her to see that she was crying again. She looked away, grinding her teeth as she tried to convince herself to leave her be.

Then she stood up and walked over to the princess, who was wiping her eyes with her pastern. She was still wearing her new red shoes.

“Look,” Twilight said, “I know that your sorry. How about… I dunno, we go find something to do. Let's go to the spa; that way you can talk to Raven.”

“Alright,” the princess sniveled, poking at the food on her plate with a fork. Her voice was dead as she added, “I've gotten better at my levitation.”

“Yeah,” Twilight agreed, feeling awkward, “You'll probably have more time to practice your magic now.”

“Probably.” The princess dropped her fork on the plate and said, “Okay, let's go.”

The two walked in silence down the hallways. Every now and then they crossed the path of a maid or other servant, who stared at the two of them with confusion. Twilight wondered how the news of the duplicates' arrival hadn't spread across the entire castle by now.

When they arrived at the spa, Princess Twilight made to take off her shoes while Twilight herself asked the attendant on duty, “Is Mrs. Lavender Scent here?”

“Um… no, she has the day off,” the attendant said, looking back and forth between the two Twilights.

“Is Raven?”

“Ms. Raven is here,” she affirmed, “Shall I get her for you… um, Princess?”

“Yes, please. And she's Princess Twilight.”

“…okay,” the attendant said, plainly weirded out. She disappeared into the back, leaving the two alone.

“When did you meet Raven?”

“The first evening I was here,” Twilight explained, “Watcher” – Princess Twilight winced at the name – “brought me here to get washed up for the dinner party.”

Princess Twilight grunted in reply.

“Twilight?!”

Raven had arrived and was looking at the two of them with complete shock. She looked back and forth between the two of them, pointing and stuttering gibberish as she tried to figure this out.

“Hi Raven,” Twilight said, “This is Princess Twilight.”

Raven simply nodded before asking, “And you are?”

♦ ◊ ♦

“You are unbelievable,” Raven repeated to Twilight, dumping another bucket of water onto her head to wash out the conditioner. She was still a little grumpy to learn that the filly she had been bonding with the past few days was an imposter. But she had still thrown the two into the little pool and begun their bath instead of bashing them for what they did.

“It's not her fault,” Princess Twilight protested, “I was the one who insisted on trading places.”

“I am just as mad at you,” Raven assured her, dumping the next bucket over her head, “You two could have gotten in so much trouble. Thank Celestia you're safe. Now stay here why I grab a few towels. I don't want one of you to go missing in the time it takes for me to get back.”

Once she had left the room, Twilight turned her attention to the princess. She was pawing at the water, still fully immersed in her gloom.

“Hey,” Twilight said, scooting closer, “I forgive you. Alright?”

“No, it's not alright!” Princess Twilight cried, “I completely messed up. I… I just wanted your life so much…” She was on the verge of tears again.

“But your life here is so good already!” Twilight protested, “You have so many ponies who care about you, like Rav-”

“I trusted that bastard!” the princess exclaimed, splashing furiously.

Twilight grabbed her in a tight hug.

“I know,” she said, “I'm so sorry. But there are so many others here who really do love you.”

Twilight noticed Raven standing in the doorway with two towels draped over her back, watching this scene play out. Judging by her expression, she wanted to cry too.

“I forgive you,” she repeated.

“Thank you,” Princess Twilight whispered.

A little while later, after the two were dry and their hair done, they were sitting and getting their hooficures. The princess had started to cheer up, and was obviously glad to be home despite her pain. Raven stood by her, unwilling to leave her side now that she had her sister back, eagerly listening to her story about being in the other world.

Twilight listened to, eager to hear what had transpired while she was away.

“You spent all my bits!” she cried out, stunning everypony in the room, “I was saving those!”

“Oh, um…” Princess Twilight blushed. Raven raised an eyebrow, daring her to confirm this. “Yeah, sorry, I did,” she admitted, “But I was going to pay you back, I swear! I… that was before I…”

“It's okay,” Twilight lied, dropping the subject.

In no time at all they were done. Out in the lobby area, Princess Twilight admired the job in the mirror.

“It feels so good to be clean again,” she cooed.

“I like the new shoes, sis” Raven offered.

“Thanks,” she replied warmly. Turning to Twilight, she said, “Come on. I had your bag taken to my room. We can get the money I owe you.”

“You go ahead,” Twilight said, “I'll catch up; I know the way.”

Princess Twilight nodded and went on without her. Twilight let her lighter expression fall and she turned to Raven.

“Is something wrong… um…?”

“'Twilight' is fine,” she said. She paused before blurting out, “Is the princess an orphan?”

Raven sighed and sat down. “Yes, she is,” Raven told her.

“And that's why you reacted the way you did when I mentioned Shining Armor.”

Raven nodded, adding, “Yesterday was the anniversary of her family's death.” Twilight's heart sank. “When you brought up her brother, I thought it meant she was coming to terms with it. It's still a very tender subject for her.”

“That makes a lot of sense now,” Twilight said.

Raven continued, “She was at the orphanage for a few months before Celestia found her. I don't know any of the specifics; she doesn't like to talk about what happened.” Her brows furled in anger for a moment before her expression softened again.

“I'm sorry,” she said, “I shouldn't have told you about the day I met her. That was incredibly personal for me.”

“And I'm sorry I tricked you,” Twilight offered.

“It's okay,” Raven insisted, “I forgive you. I just need some time alone to think about it.”

Twilight nodded. “I understand,” she said, turning to leave. But then she stopped.

“Since… since it's just the day after…” she licked her lips before continuing, “Maybe you should come to spend some time with her outside of the spa.”

“Twilight, I have a job to do,” Raven protested weakly.

“Please Raven,” Twilight begged, “She really needs you right now.”

Raven was silent for a moment before she nodded. “Alright. Take me to her.”

♦ ◊ ♦

It didn't take her very long to reach the Princess' chamber. There were two guards on duty, but all they did at the sight of her was bow and open the door.

Somepony must have spread the word, Twilight thought, Or the Princess gave them the incredibly confusing order to let her in when she arrived a second time. The sarcastic thought made her smile.

“There you are, slowpoke,” the Princess' said from her spot on the bed, “I was afraid for a moment that you really had disappeared.” She was wearing her brace and boots again, which must have been retrieved earlier by somepony else.

Her smile faded, though, at the sight of who Twilight had brought.

“Raven?” she said, sliding off the bed, “What are you doing here?”

“I felt that it wasn't right for us to only see each other while I'm working,” Raven lied.

Twilight was eyeing her bulging saddlebags sitting on the foot of her bed. Sitting on the desk was a small pile of new books, two of which Twilight thought she recognized.

The bottom drawer of the desk was open too, and all the contents had been pulled out. On the bed were a few photographs.

As Princess Twilight nuzzled Raven affectionately, Twilight walked over and tried to levitate her saddlebags onto her back.

Oh!” she exclaimed, struggling to raise them, “This is heavy.”

“Yeah, sorry, hold on.” Princess Twilight turned to her and added her magic to levitate it. The saddlebags flew up into the air, higher than either of them had intended, and the straps came undone, showering the three in gold coins.

“Whoa,” the princess' breathed, rubbing her new bruises, “Did you see that? When we used our magic together it just flew up there.”

“That doesn't make any sense,” Twilight complained, “Magic grows arithmetically, not exponentially. Two unicorns can only use magic equal to the sum of their combined abilities.”

The look on the princess' face suggested that this explanation went way over her head. Twilight just rolled her eyes and started magically herding the little coins together; the princess followed suit.

This time, Twilight put the saddlebags on first and the princess and Raven dumped the coins in. Twilight grunted under the weight.

Raven asked, “Are you sure you don't want me to carry it?”

“No, I've got it,” Twilight insisted. Turning to the princess, she added, “You really didn't have to replace the money you used.”

“I owe it to you,” Princess Twilight insisted, “It would be un-princessly of me to take something without giving anything in return.”

“You'll make a good ruler one day,” Twilight told her.

Princess Twilight smiled in return. “I hope you're right,” she said. Then her gaze drifted over to the photos on her bed and her smile faded.

She grabbed them with her magic and pulled the pictures over. They looked charred around the edges.

Twilight leaned over to get a good look at the images. She recognized her own mother and father pretty well. Aside from that haircut her father was sporting and a different cutie mark for her mother, they were doppelgangers of her actual parents.

But there was another pony in the photos. An older colt with sleek silver fur and light purple hair like Twilight's mother, but with a lot more sheen. He was in most of the pictures as Princess Twilight silently flipped through them.

The last photo had no burn marks, but it was folded, like somepony had kept it on themselves. It was just Twilight and the colt. It took a moment for Twilight to remember why it was so familiar. It was a mirrored version of the picture she had of herself and her own brother from several years ago.

She opened her mouth to ask Princess Twilight to confirm what she suspected, but stopped as soon as she saw the expression on her face. There were tears running down her muzzle, and she was seconds away from bawling. Raven was sitting on her other side, with one arm wrapped around the princess to comfort her.

Twilight backed away. This wasn't right; she shouldn't be intruding in on this moment.

“I'm… I'm just gonna go,” she muttered to nopony in particular. They weren't listening to her anyway.

The guards bowed to Twilight as she left. She barely acknowledged them, too caught up in her own thoughts.

“Princess Twilight!”

Twilight looked up, and smiled.

“Silver Dust! It's good to see you,” Twilight said.

“It's good to see you too!” Silver Dust said, stopping in front of her, “I heard a rumor that you went up against Father Watcher. What happened?”

“Watcher was a cult member,” Twilight explained, “I managed to escape him and get the princess' attention though.” Silver Dust was stunned to hear this. “There's more,” Twilight added, “I'm not actually this world's Twilight. I traded places with her a few days ago using a magic mirror I found. She's over in her room.”

“That's… unbelievable,” Silver Dust breathed.

Twilight nodded sympathetically. “But that's the truth.”

“So… so what's your world like?” she asked.

Twilight smiled and began to walk.

“Well, I haven't been here long,” she started, “But for starters it's a lot brighter over there. You wouldn't believe what it does for the plants…”

♦ ◊ ♦

When Twilight made it back to the throne room, Princess Twilight was already waiting with the two Celestia's. They were surrounded by attendants and scrolls, still debating. Upon seeing Twilight enter, the two dismissed the servants and sent them away. Watching Princess Tia struggle to walk beside her own elegant teacher made Twilight wince. It was like watching the worst possible scenario come to life.

“I hope you enjoyed your afternoon,” Celestia told the two. She was wearing a pair of large, decorated saddlebags herself.

Princess Tia asked, “Are you sure you cannot stay any longer?”

“I'm afraid not,” Celestia insisted with a frown, “We need to get back before dinner. I did tell a few ponies where I was going, but I wasn't very specific. I can't be sure they aren't already panicking.”

Twilight had to stifle a giggle at the thought of all the ponies in the castle running around and crying for their lost princess.

Sorry everypony, she thought, but your princess is in another castle.

For some reason this sentence struck her as even funnier, and she had to try her hardest to keep from bursting out laughing. This earned her an awkward stare from her double.

The two elder princesses chatted lightly as they made their way to the mirror room. The students followed closely, both remembering their own issues with keeping their bearings in these inner hallways. Yet neither Celestia seemed to have much trouble finding their way.

“I assume this is it,” Princess Tia suggested when they arrived.

Celestia herself took a look at the empty doorframe, glanced at the door thrown carelessly to the side, and took one peek inside before affirming, “Yup.”

“You have quite a temper when you are angry,” Princess Tia said.

“Actually it was like this when I found it.”

The two glanced to their respective Twilights, who both shrugged in honest ignorance.

“I'll have somepony else clean it up,” Princess Tia said, stepping into the room. Princess Celestia followed, casting an illumination spell. Twilight thought that she saw Princess Twilight casting her an envious look before going in.

They all stood before the mirror, which still showed a dark, featureless image behind the glass. A knot formed in Twilight's stomach at the fear that, whatever Princess Celestia was planning, it was doomed to fail and leave them stuck in that world for the rest of their lives.

Princess Celestia herself seemed to have no such worries. Her and her counterpart just seemed to observe the mirror with vindictive scorn. After a moment she turned to Twilight and, noticing her saddlebags, asked, “What are you bringing home?”

“Um… Princess Twilight offered to let me take some money back, since she spent so much of mine.”

“Let me see.”

Twilight nervously lifted a coin from her bag and passed it to her teacher, who looked at it carefully for a moment.

“Not the same currency as what you use?” Princess Tia guessed.

“No,” Princess Celestia confirmed, “But if it's made from what I think it is, it is more than a little valuable.”

She returned the coin to Twilight's saddlebag, adding, “Honestly, I'm a bit surprised. I would have suspected you'd grab whatever books about this world's history you could.”

“I… I didn't get the chance,” Twilight admitted.

“No matter,” Princess Celestia told her, “I did.” She jiggled her saddlebags once, causing the books inside to shift about.

“Wait…” Princess Twilight began, “If you have stuff from our world with you, shouldn't that be enough to let you come back here whenever you want, like what happened with me?”

Twillight's heart leapt, but Princess Celestia was shaking her head. “Sadly, no,” she said, “Inorganic material does not retain the same type of signature that living things do. It's for the best, though; I fear that abusing that power to keep a portal open might cause a bit of damage to the border between universes. Admittedly just speculation on my part, but I wouldn't want to be the one to risk it.”

Twilight recognized what Princess Celestia said as magical theory, but sadly that was a field of study she had a hard time with herself. The way Princess Celestia simplified it was pretty good, but there was no telling how much of it that Princess Twilight understood.

“Alright,” Princess Celestia said, “Twilight, climb on my back.”

She lowered her wing for Twilight to use as a ramp. As she was climbing up, Princess Twilight said, “Twilight, a letter from your parents came in. Say hi to them for me.”

“I will,” Twilight said, settling into a comfortable situation on her princess' back, “Tell Raven that I really appreciate the time she spent with me.”

“I will,” the princess promised, smiling warmly.

“Hold on tight,” Princess Celestia told Twilight, facing the mirror and taking a deep breath.

Without so much as a whisper, let alone a magical phrase, Celestia walked forward into the glass, which parted around them like air. They were surrounded by darkness, and for a moment Twilight's heart raced at the thought of being lost between worlds. Then Princess Celestia cast an illumination spell, lighting up the old storage closet they were in.

“No, don't get off,” Princess Celestia warned, “There's glass on the floor.”

Twilight obeyed, twisting around to get one final look at the mirror. The glass was indeed gone, and she could see that there was no back to the mirror. Now it looked like an empty door frame.

As Celestia walked out into the hallway, carrying Twilight away from the mirror, Twilight had to gulp and strengthen her grip. Despite not moving and not giving off any aura of magic, it felt like the mirror was giving her a sinister goodbye.

She briefly wondered how much dark magic went into its construction.

When the door officially closed on that portion of her life, hopefully for good, Twilight slid off of her teacher's back and onto the floor.

She was home.

And suddenly a weight greater than that of the brace slid off her shoulders, and she had to wipe away a happy tear.

“Come on, Twilight,” Celestia said pleasantly, “Let's go straighten everypony out. Hopefully they haven't hurt themselves in their confusion.”

Twilight giggled, glad that she apparently wasn't in too much trouble if her mentor was in a joking mood.

“You're probably wondering what that mirror was,” Princess Celestia said a little more seriously.

“Actually, yes,” Twilight admitted.

“It's a rather long story. But I suppose it is a big castle. We've got time. It's called the Mirror of Erised, a very old magical device that I discovered in my youth. Even then it was old. Don't ask me how old, I could never guess for sure. I'm guessing you spoke the magic phrase to activate it?”

“The other Twilight did. But we could already see each other before that. That was just what allowed us to step through.”

“Alright. That makes a little sense. You see, Twilight, the Mirror of Erised shows the viewer what they want most out of anything in the world, and will find a way to alter reality to make it happen. Reports on what it actually does vary, from transformation to the spontaneous generation of objects or even whole ponies. I even heard one report where it brought a pony back from the dead.”

Twilight shivered, earning her a sympathetic look from her teacher.

“However,” Celestia continued, “After a while, the reality of their situation catches up with them, and they usually end up regretting what they get from the mirror. Rarely does the story end happily.” Twilight had to wince at this. “The stories span back for thousands of years. Most ponies dismiss them as old myths about appreciating what you have, but the last report I got was just four years ago. I actually went to check up on the ponies involved, and they seemed alright.”

“Is that when you got the mirror and brought it here?” Twilight asked.

Celestia was silent a long while before answering. When she did, Twilight could hear her disdain for the mirror dripping from her voice.

“Ever since I first came across it, I kept one eye on the mirror at all times. When I officially took the throne, I had it brought to my castle and chained down in a small room magically guarded. The reports still came in.

“When Canterlot Castle was built, I had it locked in that room, deep inside the castle where nopony would need to go, protected by magical runes I painted onto the wall and blocked with boxes to prevent anypony 'accidentally' rubbing them off and letting the mirror teleport out of there. It didn't work.

“Not all the reports mention the mirror itself. Sometimes it's just a pool or other reflective surface. But somehow I can feel its presence through the words on the paper. Like it's mocking me.”

Twilight thought back to just a few moments ago when she last saw it. Even in her thoughts, the thing seemed to have a will of its own, enticing her to draw nearer. She didn't doubt her teacher.

“Can I see some of those reports?” she asked.

“Absolutely not.” Princess Celestia replied so forcefully that Twilight was stunned. Sighing, she said, “I'm sorry, but merely thinking about it seems to do more harm than good. I'd appreciate it if you focus elsewhere in your studies.”

“Okay, Princess,” Twilight agreed. They were entering more familiar areas of the castle. Then she asked, “When did you meet that other you?”

“It was when I first found the mirror,” she said. Despite her sensitivity on the subject, she seemed to be happy reminiscing, “I was about your age, in fact, and looking for an opportunity to escape my responsibilities at the time. Unlike your counterpart, she never entered my world, but we stayed in there together for a few days. As I was messing about, I uncovered a plot centered around a dark creature. It was so long that I can't remember the name, but it was really funny-sounding…”

“Todote the Samoyed,” Twilight remembered.

“Yes, that definitely sounds silly enough,” Princess Celestia agreed, “But it was a serious threat. Nopony would believe us, despite clearly seeing that there were two of us there. They believed me to be some kind of imposter. Tia broke me out and together we stood against the… Todite?”

“Todote,” Twilight corrected.

“Yes, that guy. Somehow, the two of us together using our magic actually increased our power level exponentially. I suspect that the rules bend a little when you have two identical beings trying to use their magic at the same time. Incidentally, this was the incident that made me want to study magical theory.”

I can see why, Twilight agreed. All this rule-bending was making her head hurt.

“We defeated the creature and together summoned the power to imprison him beyond the stars. I suppose if we hadn't both been immortal alicorns such a thing would have been impossible, even with our power overcharged like it was. I've never felt that kind of connection with the universe since then…”

She trailed off, lost in the memory of what Twilight suspected was some kind of temporary godhood.

Finally, she seemed to remember where she was and concluded with, “Fortunately, Totodile doesn't seem to have a parallel in our world. I've always kept an eye out, though, just in case.” Then she lowered her voice and murmured to herself, almost too low for Twilight to hear, “It was hardly the last time I ran into trouble with a mirror.”

“Were you ever tempted to go back?” Twilight asked.

“All the time,” Princess Celestia admitted, “It would be nice to just take a break every now and then. But that reminds me: what brought you to the mirror? It doesn't draw in anypony who isn't looking for something.”

Twilight was silent, but Princess Celestia was patient and said nothing.

“I'm sorry,” Twilight said, “I was worried that you would see that I wasn't doing as well in my studies and kick me out. I kept telling myself that I shouldn't doubt myself, b-but I couldn't do it.” They had stopped walking and Twilight had sat down, bowing her head to cry. “I just wanted some excuse to relax is all. It was just too much for me to do.”

“Twilight,” Princess Celestia cooed, wrapping a wing around her once again, “You don't have to impress me with your studies. I know how hard you work. When I took you as my student, it was because I was willing to put my undying trust in you. Part of me letting you stay at the castle was so that you could relax while I was away and indulge in what the lifestyle had to offer. Did you even once take advantage of that?”

Twilight shook her head. Her face was burning.

“In the future,” the princess continued, “I promise to remind you that you will always have my confidence in your abilities. Just promise me that you will try your best to remember that on your own.”

Twilight nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Do you think that other world is going to be alright?” she asked.

“I hope so,” the princess admitted, “But it would not do us well to mull too much over that. Let's worry about our own world for now. Does that sound fair? We have our own lives to live out as it is.”

“I guess so.”

“And a lot of chances to enjoy some down time too,” she added, leaning in to nuzzle Twilight gently.

Twilight nodded, managing to smile a little.

“Now,” Princess Celestia concluded, “What are you hungry for?”

Twilight thought about it for a while before answering, “Actually, if it's alright with you, can I go home to eat dinner with my family tonight?”

Celestia nodded. “Come on,” she said, “I'll fly you there myself.”

Author's Note

And there it is.

But that's not all I have to say. For my followup on this story, check out this blog post here.

An Evening in Wonderland – Part 1

As it turned out, getting through the hallways in this world wasn't any easier for Twilight. After about thirty minutes Twilight gave up and slumped against the wall. At least she'd finally stopped sliding around in the princess boots; the brace still dug fiercely into her neck. Not that it was any comfort to a lost pony. She'd only been here half an hour and she'd proven herself completely incapable of even finding her way around!

Twilight bowed her head and sighed, fighting the tears that threatened to spill over.

The sound of somepony's hoofsteps echoing faintly down the hall caught Twilight's attention. She wiped her eyes dry, stood up, slipped and fell, pulled herself back up, and faced the direction of the hoofsteps. They were getting louder now, and Twilight prayed that whoever they belonged to was headed in her direction.

One of the castle maids turned the corner and stopped, her eyes wide with surprise at the sight of Twilight standing there. Twilight made note that the maids' outfit was slightly different over here.

Before she could say anything though, the maid had stumbled into a bow.

“P-princess Twilight,” she stuttered, “I didn't expect to see you here. M-may I ask what you are doing, al- uh, unescorted?”

That's right, she had to pretend she was a princess now. How would a princess talk in this situation? What would Princess Celestia say?

“You see, ma'am,” she said, trying to sound as formal as possible, “I was on my way to… my next meeting, when I took a turn down the wrong hallway and became lost. I am not sure how to return to where I was. Can you he- escort me, please?”

The maid must have been in a state of shock at the prospect of getting to directly help the young princess, because all she could do was give Twilight a dumb nod before pointing down the hallway she came.

“Thank you,” Twilight said, making to follow her.

The maid seemed a little uncomfortable; Twilight could see her tail was plagued by the occasional nervous twitch. Hoping to ease her a little, Twilight trotted up beside her and tried to start up a conversation.

“Thank you for this,” she said. The maid gave a nervous grunt in reply. Twilight continued, “May I ask your name?”

“My name is Silver Dust, Princess.”

“That's a pretty name,” Twilight told her. She could see the faint hint of a smile on Silver Dust's lips. That was a start. “How did you get it?”

“My parents were botanists,” she began, speaking easily now, “Have you ever seen a Silver Dust plant? They're very beautiful. I was hoping to one day become a castle gardener, but I haven't gotten the chance.”

“You should. I bet you'd be really good at it.”

“That's very kind of you,” Silver Dust said, “Where are you headed?”

“She's coming with me,” a deep voice interrupted.

The maid froze, panic replacing her earlier expression. Twilight barely noticed the windows that signified they had returned to the main hallways as she looked over the unicorn that had appeared in front of them. His combed-back blue hair against his orange fur would have been laughable if he wasn't staring daggers at the two of them. There seemed to be a black fury where his eyes were supposed to be. Twilight subconsciously tried to slide behind Silver Dust for protection as he came closer.

“Don't you have somewhere else to be?” he asked the maid.

“Y-yes, Father Watcher,” she squeaked, “Right away.”

Without another word to Twilight, poor Silver Dust turned and fled back the way they had come from. Father Watcher turned to Twilight, and she noticed that his expression had softened dramatically. There was a kindness in his eyes, which Twilight could now see were actually green and not black like she had first thought.

“I was worried about you, Princess Twilight,” he said, anger replaced by relief, “When you didn't show up on time, I was afraid something bad had happened to you.”

“I apologize, Father Watcher,” Twilight said, remembering what her counterpart had said about his name, “I lost my way. Miss Silver Dust was helping me find my way back.”

Watcher raised an eyebrow at this, but all he said was, “Very well. Try to be more careful in the future. We will talk on the way to the baths.”

Now it was Twilight's turn to be afraid. She wasn't sure what Watcher wanted to talk about, but whatever it was she wasn't going to know anything about it. He was going to be able to see through her in an instant! She bit her lip and began to follow him, frantically searching her brain for some kind of escape from this situation.

Her fears were soon relieved, however, at the reveal of what “talking” actually entailed. Watcher barely even looked at her as he went on about the state of affairs in Equestria. He certainly didn't expect her to answer. She tried to listen as best she could, but it was mostly boring political stuff that no ordinary pony would be interested in. She spent most of her time looking through the windows. It was a cloudless day outside, and she could even see the sun itself, but for some reason this world seemed darker than hers. Why could that be? She made a note to herself to investigate that further.

She also caught Watcher mentioning that Celestia had written back about how she was handling the civil unrest in the northeastern states, which was notable for two reasons: Twilight could barely imagine ponies of Equestria growing violent enough to warrant intervention – it must have been a very big issue – and her Equestria wasn't divided into states, it was divided into provinces. That probably didn't mean much, but she was curious about how history had played out to result in the division into states. She'd have to quickly locate a history book the first chance she got. Maybe she could even sneak it back home, just to prove she'd really come here.

It wasn't stealing… it was just collecting evidence.

“We're here,” Watcher said, cutting off her train of thought, “I will return in an hour to bring you to dinner. Where's that mare? Ah, here she comes.”

At first glance, the mare who approached them didn't look that old. Her soft purple coat practically gleamed in the light of the Illumination Stones that lined the room, and her hair was long and flowing freely. As she got closer though, Twilight could see that she lacked the spry movements of a young mare, and when she stopped in front of them it was obvious that she was older than her appearance let on. There were wrinkles starting to form around her eyes and mouth, and though well-kept her hair was tainted by occasional streaks of grey. Her skin was also starting to sag in that way that no beauty product could prevent.

This mare had a stern look on her face as she exchanged some curt words with Father Watcher. Twilight wasn't listening though; there was something else nagging at her. She felt like she knew this mare from somewhere, but she couldn't place where. After a moment, Watcher bid goodbye to Twilight and left her in the care of this familiar pony.

Immediately, the mare's expression softened and she smiled at Twilight, making the wrinkles on her face all the more prominent. That's when it hit her – this was the same mare that her mother bought her makeup from.

That's right, she thought, she works at the beauty parlor on Fifth reet. And in this world she… works here? Twilight racked her head for a name, but it eluded her. She'd only gone to the parlor once or twice when running errands with her mother, and it was hardly her favorite stop. She did remember her looking older than this, though, but that was probably the result of not having access to the castle's own stock of beauty supplies.

“Nice to see you again, Princess Twilight,” she said softly, “Have you thought about the mane cut I suggested?”

“I think I want to leave it the way it is, at least for now,” Twilight told Mrs.… Mrs.… It started with an 'L', she remembered, Would it even be the same name here? I mean, mine is, and so is Princess Celestia's, but… There was just so much she couldn't be sure of. It was as if every step she took left her feeling slightly less confident in her plan.

No! she scolded herself, I can't start doubting myself. I'm here, and I just have to make the best of it. Just for a few days.

“Well, alright then,” Mrs. L replied, “But if you ever change your mind, the offer is still valid.”

Twilight simply nodded and followed her over to the baths.

♦ ◊ ♦

“Thank you ma'am,” an exasperated Princess Twilight said to the maid who had helped her find her room. Closing the door behind her, she sighed and looked around at what her counterpart lived in. She'd never even seen this wing of the castle before, and she wondered briefly if this was a standard room for the castle staff.

The bed, desk, and dresser took up most of the space, and the rest of it was occupied by books and scattered parchment.

“Apparently they don't get the maids to clean up after her,” the princess lamented, stepping over a small pile of books and walking up to the desk. She climbed up onto the stool so she could reach the desk and grabbed the nearest parchment.

Record of illumination spell attempts, she read, The spell was originally conceived by… The scroll went on, giving a brief explanation of how the spell was created and how it was supposed to work. It was clearly pulled from a book, but a shiver went down Twilight's spine at just how similar the narrative style was to the way she spoke. She could very well have written this herself. Like she was looking into a memory she couldn't recall ever having.

The scroll went on to detail a two-day account of how Twilight practiced the spell, making slight changes in how she tried to funnel and focus her magic. Princess Twilight reread the last section over and over again, where it detailed exactly what she needed to do to most effectively cast the spell.

The princess was stunned. The paper was so thorough, so methodical. Not only was this world's Twilight casting magic, she was understanding it; she could explain how it worked and why. Father had always told her that there would be time for that when she was older, that young fillies shouldn't be worrying about magic spells when there were still things to learn about being a good princess.

And here was proof to the contrary. Princess Twilight had butterflies in her stomach as she read the last section again. Could she? Could she really do it? Should she even try?

Glancing up at her horn, Twilight took a deep breath and focused. She drew up what little magic she had inside her, letting it fill every fiber of her being, and directed it straight into her horn. Adrenalin filled her as the magic built up, threatening to explode. Breathing became harder and her head was pounding. Finally, when it seemed that the pain was going to split her head in two, she let it all go.

There was a dim flash of light and then Princess Twilight collapsed on the desk. Still struggling to get her breath back, she reached out a quivering arm and pulled the parchment closer to her. At the top of the scroll was a note that said: Class IV, Intermediate Spell. She groaned and threw the thing away, letting it hit the ground and unravel.

♦ ◊ ♦

Mrs. L brought Twilight to a large in-ground bath that more closely resembled a small pool big enough for three or for ponies to have a party in. An older unicorn filly was filling the tub with a bubbling soap. She was a white unicorn with brown hair who clearly used far too much hair gel for her own good. Twilight wondered how anypony with hair that stood up straight like that would be allowed to work at Canterlot Castle.

Upon seeing Twilight, the filly's wide brown eyes lit up behind her glasses and she bounced over.

“Hey there, sis,” she said, giving Twilight a soft punch in the arm.

Twilight said nothing. She didn't move, didn't breath. Her mind had momentarily shut itself off with this new bit of data. She couldn't even scold herself for not considering this possibility and asking Princess Twilight more about her life before agreeing.

“What's wrong, Twilight?” her apparent sister asked. She didn't even resemble either of Twilight's parents.

“Princess?” Mrs. L asked.

Twilight blinked and tried to stammer out an answer. “I'm… I'm just… I need to sit down.”

“Are you feeling alright?” Mrs. L asked, “Raven, call a nurse.”

“No!” Twilight exclaimed, “No, that's okay. I'm fine. I'm just a little tense.” Judging by how different everything was in this world, a nurse might have no problem realizing that she wasn't Princess Twilight. She'd ask a question about an allergy or something and Twilight would answer wrong, or something like that. Trying to distract herself from that particular thought, Twilight examined Raven's mane closer. Did their mother know she wore it like that? Twilight had a hard time believing that she'd allow one of her children to make a fool of themselves with that mane style.

Raven and Mrs. L exchanged a worried look, but relented. “If you're sure, Princess” Mrs. L said, “but if you don't feel well I want you to see somepony about it.” Twilight nodded and she continued, “Good. Raven, you go ahead and start the bath while I get the rest.”

“Alright Twilight,” Raven said, “let me get this thing off you.” Raven said, pulling the silver brace off of Twilight with her magic. She laid it down over on a nearby shelf, underneath which was a towel. Hoping she guessed correctly, Twilight went over and took off her boots, laying them neatly on the towel and walking over to the bath. It had only been a short while, but she must have gotten used to the outfit pretty quickly; as heavy as it was, she felt oddly naked without it. At least she was free to rub her sore withers now.

The water was comfortably warm, and Twilight immediately began to relax. After the day she'd had, she deserved it. She closed her eyes and sank further into the large tub. And then she let out a yelp as a surge of warm water fell over her.

“Oops,” Raven chuckled, “Sorry, Twi. I should have warned you.” She levitated a bottle of Mane 'n Tail over to her and stepped forward. “We'll start with your mane,” she said, drizzling the goo over her.

♦ ◊ ♦

Once Princess Twilight had recovered, she managed to find an easier spell to try. The first one was a dusting spell that seemed about as effective as simply wiping the dust from the shelves herself, but she cast it with ease. All of the Class I spells she found were pretty simple. There was one for locking the door, removing stains, one for changing the temperature of liquids, and a spell that dried your mane.

But as interesting as the reports were to read, these spells were just too simple. They were baby spells, and she wanted something that pushed her limits, narrow as they were. The first Class II spell she found was one that allowed the caster to imitate bird calls. She studied the sheet for a moment and then followed its instructions.

The energy drain was noticeable this time, but she shook it off quickly. What were some birds she knew? An owl. That seemed easy to start with.

Princess Twilight opened her mouth and began making the hooting noise. “Hoo hoohoo hoo hoo hoooo hoooo.” She then broke into a giggle. That was such a strange sound to hear coming from her own throat! It was so unlike her normal voice. What else? A sparrow. She opened her mouth and let out a rapid, dry trill. When she was done, she couldn't stop laughing. This was so much fun. Why hadn't she tried this years ago?

…oh, right, Father Watcher forbade it. No matter. She had time now; she would make the most of it.

Author's Note

We're introduced to four characters in this chapter! One of them is actually a background character from the show. Guess which one that is.

For those of you confused about the use of the word "arm", check this blog post: http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Daemon%20of%20Decay/blog/3