Twilight Sparkle roamed the halls of Canterlot High, taking in every single detail of what she saw. Locker #355 was dented about a quarter inch from the bottom hinge. There were papers on the verge of falling from #370. She was intrigued by the differences between the technology, lifestyle, and just about everything else between this strange world and her own, but who wouldn’t be? She was transported to an alternate dimension home to bipedal clones of everypony she knew. She had been there already, she had gotten used to the hands, walking on 2 legs, and fitting in was becoming less of a problem. What really fascinated her were the people that lived there. They all had the same personalities, but different pasts. Not to mention, the version of herself was nowhere to be found. Twilight was always the studious type, and she would often find herself dreaming about learning. That’s why it was no surprise when she was suddenly in her own bed, with wings, a horn, and four hooves. She was disappointed that it was all a dream, for her fascination was overwhelmingly strong. The mirror to this strange world only opened once every 300 moons, but Twilight, being a princess, had all the time in the world. If she wanted to, she could just wait. She was immortal, after all. She wasn’t going anywhere. Spike was awake, lying in his bed, groggily staring at Twilight. He yawned. “Mornin’.”
“Good morning, Spike,” Twilight said without a hint of grogginess in her voice, “Sleep well?” Spike blinked.
“Uhh… yeah. What’s got you so excited?”
“I dreamed about that other world again. And I want to go back.” Spike was immediately at attention.
“THERE?!” Spike cried, “You have no hooves, or magic. And oh. I’M A DOG!” Twilight smiled and shook her head.
“I know, Spike. But everything is so different there. And I’m not just talking about the bodies, or the food, or anything like that. When I went, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie weren’t friends. Life there isn’t like life here. I want to see what makes that world tick. Aren’t you just dying of the curiosity?”
“All I need to know is that I’m a talking dog. I think I can live without,” Spike said, making his bed.
“So you’re not coming with?” Twilight asked. Spike’s eyes got huge.
“W-w-wait?” Spike stopped what he was doing. “How are you going back? The mirror isn’t going to open for a really long time!”
“I think I can use a spell to reactivate it.”
Fog suddenly filled the room.
“What’s this I hear about a mirror?”
The fog slowly cleared, revealing a long, slender silhouette. Twilight rolled her eyes.
“What are you doing, Discord?”
The draconequus removed the fog from the area. “Oh, come now, Princess. You know I love to make a grand entrance. Now I ask again, what is this mirror?”
Twilight explained the mirror to Discord, from the robbing of her crown to the fall formal. She also explained that she may be able to use magic to return to there before the mirror naturally opens.
Discord had a small puppet house in front of him, acting out the events of the fall formal. Twilight sent it away with magic as soon as Discord revealed a Flash Sentry puppet, and blushed.
“Well, it looks like somepony has a little crush.” Discord poked Twilight’s nose.
“I… you… but… it wa-”
“Relax.” Discord picked up Twilight and set her down on an overstuffed bean bag chair that he materialized underneath her, which she sank into until only her horn was visible. She struggled, until she managed to pop her head out.
“This isn’t about Flash! Why did you want to know about the mirror?”
“Well excuse me for taking an interest in your personal life. Now where were we? Oh yes, the mirror. I would like to accompany you on your little journey.”
Twilight thought about Discord’s offer.
Discord’s magic is most likely stronger than my magic on my own. He could prove useful, but why does he want to come?
“Alright, Discord. You can come. But I want to know why.”
“Let’s see here,” Discord began, “An alternate world filled with bizarre-looking clones of everypony here. If that doesn’t strike you as something I’d love to observe firsthoof, then maybe we’re not as good of friends as you claim. Plus, I wonder what I would look like there. I bet I’m even more handsome than I am here.”
Spike opened his mouth for the first time since Discord’s arrival. “Well I still don’t wanna be a dog. I’ll see if Rarity is up to anything.”
Discord suddenly had a giant hiker’s backpack and a pair of sunglasses. “Well, let’s get a move on.”
“Now hold on. I just got out of bed. I need something for breakfast, I need to comb my mane, and I-”
Discord had fixed Twilight’s mane and set a plate of pancakes before her with a snap of his fingers. “Anything else I can get you?”
…
Twilight and Discord stood before the mirror. Discord knocked on the glass with a knuckle. “Get out of the way,” Twilight ordered. Her horn began to glow, and the mirror was engulfed in her magic aura. It glew, and she released her spell when the glowing stopped. “That should do it.”
Discord tried to knock again, but witnessed his talon effortlessly disappear into the mirror. He continued through, and was followed by Twilight, panting from the exhausting spell. They emerged on the other side, and Twilight’s heart sank. She had made a mistake. She wasn’t in Equestria, that was the plan, but she wasn’t in the front yard of Canterlot High either. She was surrounded by a scorched field, smoking in some areas. The clouds were gray, the sky red. That’s when she remembered part of the reason she came. She looked at herself, then at Discord. The two were unchanged: Discord was still a mashup of everything that walked the earth and Twilight was still an alicorn. They had definitely entered the wrong universe, and Twilight was too exhausted to reopen the mirror. Twilight wandered aimlessly with a silent Discord beside her. They walked for some time until Discord broke the silence with a gasp. He ran ahead of Twilight. Confused, she ran to catch up, and her body was drained at what she saw. A yellow corpse laid on the ground, almost unrecognizable from the damage it had taken. It was full of holes, obviously inflicted by some kind of weapon. The blood matted in the coat was pungent, and would have made Twilight turn away in disgust, but then her eyes moved to the flank of the cadaver. She opened her mouth, but was speechless. Discord spoke for her, only one word.
“Fluttershy…”
