Hello, everypony! This is an oneshot, with heavy Harry Potter references. Also, if you’re waiting for another chapter from my latest fanfic, sorry I’m so unreliable, I just get bored easily. Still, I’ll try to get onto it. Anyway, hope you enjoy! ^_^
In Equestria, schools had always been a necessity. There were schools for pegasi, for unicorns, for the rich, for the poor and for everypony in between. At one point, there was a typical, normal school for all ponies in Ponyville. However, a young filly with crossed eyes accidentally destroyed the place and, because of a lack of funds, Ponyville couldn’t afford to build a new one. Hearing of Ponyville’s problem, Princess Celestia used some of her own riches to build a new school. But not just any new school; this one was taller and more magnificent than any of the others that had been built in Ponyville. Some even spoke of it being ‘Canterlot worthy’. It was located in the middle of town, in full view of everypony. There were many different classrooms and there was never a shortage for equipment. It was the best school the town had ever had. It would later become the town hall for Ponyville, as they could afford to have their own school. However, because it was built by Princess Celestia’s orders, it was bound to hold a few secrets and mysteries, and two young fillies were prepared to find them.
The first of the two went by the name Rainbow Dash. She was the first one to come up with the idea to sneak into the school at night, even though she didn’t attend the school; her home town was Cloudsdale, and she attended the Junior Speedster Flight Camp there. However, she had heard many rumours about the school, and her sense of adventure had been ignited by them. Her friend Applejack was the only pony who had agreed to go with her, though she was already starting to regret it. She was just as adventurous as Rainbow Dash, though thankfully not as reckless. Though other ponies saw her as a naive country pony, it was clear in situations like this that she wasn’t stupid.
“Urr, Rainbow Dash? Are you sure ‘tis is safe? Seems kinda spooky at night...”
“Ah, come on, Applejack! Don’t tell me you’re scared already?”
Rainbow Dash nudged her friend playfully but stopped her teasing when she noticed the nervous look in Applejack’s eyes.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s just a school.”
With that, Rainbow Dash started flying ahead, but not too quickly, so that Applejack could keep up. She ran after her pegasus friend, and soon they were inside the building. The once bright hallways, alight with life, now seemed consuming and unfriendly in the darkness. The two fillies gulped in unison. Rainbow Dash shook off her worries and made her way down the nearest corridor.
“Come on, Applejack!”
“Hey! D-don’t leave me!”
Applejack ran after her friend, who raced ahead, laughing. She scowled at her, then took a lasso from her bag and threw it over her wings expertly, sending Rainbow Dash crashing to the floor. She stood up as quickly as she could, meeting the eyes of the mocking Applejack.
“Hey! What did you do that for?”
“Ta put yah in yur place!”
Rainbow Dash blushed as Applejack burst into laughter, first from embarrassment, but then from anger. She shook the ropes off and tried to tackle Applejack, but only ended up falling over one of the ropes, sending Applejack into yet another fit of laughter. Rainbow Dash stood up and pounced on the highly amused Applejack, who fought back quite well, until they were both rolling down the corridor, kicking and punching each other but laughing all the while. However, because they hadn’t been paying attention where they were rolling off to, they were soon completely lost.
“Ah, look what’cha got us inta, Rainbow Dash! I knew ‘tis was a bad idea!”
“Hey, don’t blame me! This is your school; you’re supposed to know where to go!”
“I know I should, but ‘tis is a part of school I’ve never been ta...”
They examined their surroundings, concentrating on finding a way out. They were in the middle of yet another dark corridor, but this one was thinner than the rest, so much so that there was only enough room for the two of them. Applejack started walking the way they’d come when Rainbow Dash stopped her in her tracks.
“Hey, Applejack! Do you know what’s down there?”
Applejack looked towards where Rainbow Dash was gesturing to. It was a short staircase that led to a large wooden door which appeared to be underground.
“No, and no way am I going down there.”
“Fine, then I’ll just go, if you’re too scared.”
With that, Rainbow Dash charged against the door and, after what must have been fifteen attempts, managed to open it enough to squeeze in. Applejack, not wanting to leave Rainbow Dash alone, reluctantly followed. The room they came to was spacious, yet almost completely filled with all sorts of treasures and wonders. Rainbow Dash soon buried herself in these findings, excited. Applejack, however, timidly walked around, observing everything, until she came to something that sparked her interest more than any other.
“Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi...”
“Huh? You say something, Applejack?”
Rainbow Dash was still buried in the glittering mashes of magical artefacts, poking things with a curious and perhaps somewhat disappointed expression.
“Nothing in here is going to help me get what I want...”
Applejack still stood staring at the large mirror in front of her. It was old and dusty, so dusty that when she wiped at the inscription on top to see it earlier it had caused a fit of coughing that she had just recovered from. Eventually, after a minute or so, she moved to a different position and stood directly in front of it. At first, because of her watering eyes, she saw only three blurs. She spun around, expecting somepony to have discovered them, but there was nopony there. She turned back to the mirror, and the blurs began to look familiar, as if the mirror was settling. Applejack stepped forward, and the images she thought must have been an illusion became as detailed and as solid as real ponies. There, before her, stood two ponies. One was a mare, who stood on her left side, with beautiful and long red hair, bright green eyes and an orange coat. The other pony, which stood on her right side, was a stallion with short, yellow hair, amber eyes and a yellow coat. They were both around the age of 20 and were smiling down at her. Applejack recognised the couple immediately, and instinctively reached out a hoof to the reflections.
“Mom? Dad?”
The reflections smiled back at her, looking as proud as they always had. However, when Applejack’s outstretched hoof fell on the mirror’s surface, she understood. This was not them. She wasn’t looking at her parents. All she was seeing was a cold, cruel mirror. Then she remembered a line from an old poem she had read at this very school.
“I ain’t cruel, only truthful...tar eye of a littl’ god, four-cornerd’”
Tears ran down her face as she choked the lines out quietly, her hoof still attached to the surface, her head down. Her signature hat fell from her head, and she immediately stopped crying and picked it up. She dusted it down, concerned for it. Then she replaced it on her head. A few tears tried to escape, but she held them in as she controlled herself. Then she remembered Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Yar gotta see this!”
An occupied Rainbow Dash glanced at her impatiently.
“What is it?”
“Come on! Tis’ is somethin’ yar gotta see!”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but followed her friend to the mirror.
“Come luk! It’s mah parents!”
Rainbow Dash became more concerned after that sentence. She knew what had happened to her parents; she hoped her friend wasn’t going mad with grief. Soon, they reached the mirror, and the two fillies stood in front of it, Applejack gazing at it expectantly and Rainbow Dash looking at it with curiosity, concern and annoyance all mixed together. After a pause, Rainbow Dash spoke.
“I only see us...”
“...Luk in properly. Go on, stand tur.”
Applejack dragged Rainbow Dash, until she was looking into the middle of the mirror, and stood out of the way of the mirror. A look of shock and happiness slowly made its way across Rainbow Dash’s face. A smile came across Applejack’s face as she realised she wasn’t crazy.
“Yah see ‘em, don’t’cha? Tha-”
“That’s me!”
Applejack stopped speaking, looking at Rainbow Dash in confusion.
“Only...I’m the winner of the Young Flyers Competition! I’ve got the thing on my head and Princess Celestia’s there and...Oh my gosh, I’m a Wonderbolt! ...I look good.”
Rainbow Dash continued to admire her reflection until a realisation came to her.
“Hey, Applejack! Do you think this mirror shows the future?”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened at the possibilities and then flickered back to the mirror. Applejack’s eyes looked down at the floor.
“How can it? My parents are dead.”
Rainbow Dash was filled with sadness at this, and she tried to comfort her friend, who insisted she was fine. They left the school in silence. When Rainbow Dash went to leave, she awkwardly apologised about all of this, though Applejack managed to fake a smile and assure her it was all fine. This made her friend feel a bit better as she flew off to Cloudsdale, but she still felt guilty that she wasn’t able to offer the comforting words that a friend should because of her pride and attitude. She lay in bed awake for an hour after sneaking into her room as easily as she had sneaked out, thinking about the welfare of her friend until she eventually fell asleep. Though they didn’t mention it, Applejack continued to visit the mirror, sitting in the same spot and staring up at the happy and caring expressions of her parents, imagining what could have been.
She continued to visit it for the next few days until she was visited by a peculiar visitor.
“Back again, Applejack?”
Applejack spun from her spot and sprang to her hooves, expecting a teacher or a parent, but not who was really there. Princess Celestia stood at the doorway, her long, glittering, multicoloured hair flowing without the need of a breeze, smiling down at the filly.
“I see that you, like so many before you, have discovered the delights of The Mirror of Erised. I trust, by now, you realise what it does.”
Princess Celestia made her way slowly and gracefully towards her as she spoke. The blank expression on Applejack’s face told the Princess everything she needed to know.
“Let me give you a clue. The happiest stallion alive would look into the mirror and see only himself, exactly as he is.”
Princess Celestia stood by Applejack and turned to the mirror as she spoke, causing Applejack to turn her head from the mirror to Princess Celestia in curiosity.
“So, then...it shows us wat we wunt? Wateur we wunt?”
“...Yes...and no. It shows us, nothing more or less, than the deepest and most desperate desires of our hearts. You, Applejack, have only known your parents for a short time. And you see them standing beside you.”
Applejack turned to the mirror, assured by the Princess’s words that this was a tool for good and not evil.
“But, remember this, Applejack.”
She looked up at the Princess once again, wanting to hear her words of wisdom.
“This mirror...gives us neither knowledge...nor truth. Ponies have wasted away in front of it. Even gone mad.”
This earned a shocked look from Applejack, who then turned to the mirror once again, lost in her thoughts. Those thoughts were pierced by Princess Celestia’s words.
“That is why, tomorrow, it will be moved to a new home.”
Applejack spun towards Princess Celestia, desperate to reason with her. But the Princess could see that it was her that needed reasoning with, before it was too late.
“And I must ask you...not to go looking for it again. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
With that, the wise and magical alicorn left. Applejack later caught up with her and dared to ask what she saw. Princess Celestia only answered with this and left.
“I see myself exactly as I am now. Of which I am quite glad.”
Applejack slept soundly that night, knowing that she would never look at that mirror again, but still being happy. After hearing the Princess’s words, she had caught her own piece of wisdom. She learned that night that she had to live her life to the fullest and work as hard as possible to make the living proud, instead of dreaming after the dead. Even so, she knew she would always miss her parents. Still, she had something to remind her of them. Instead of taking off her hat that night, she lay next to it, breathing in the deep smell of happiness and old times, and dreamed of the night she was given it. It was a hat that had been passed down to the oldest mare of all the new foals for generations on her mother’s side of the family. It had been her hat and Granny Smith’s hat, and now it was hers. She remembered how proud her parents had looked. She remembered Big Mac and all her other relatives cheering and laughing with joy as she placed the hat on her head. But, when she woke up, she went right to work, remembering Princess Celestia’s words: ‘It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.’
Just before the mirror was taken away for good, one last pony went to see it on a night graced with a full moon. Princess Celestia. She had told the young country filly that she saw only herself. But that was not true. She stood in front of the mirror, ready to say goodbye to the reflection she saw. A blue and black-ish blur began to appear, and as she moved closer, it became recognisable. The reflection grinned innocently and jumped around in excitement. It seemed so lifelike that Princess Celestia had to remind herself that it was nothing but an illusion. She smiled at the figure before her, and placed her hoof on the cold surface of the mirror, on the place where Applejack had placed her hoof.
“Goodbye, my dear Luna.”
With that, she dragged herself away from the mirror, not looking back. A sad smile came across her face as she reached the outside. She was bitten by the cold autumn wind and shivered, but continued to smile as tears filled her eyes and she looked up at the full moon.
“Maybe, someday, it will be true again...”
She bowed to the moon.
“Until then, my fair sister.”
With that, Princess Celestia made her way to the guards waiting outside for her, who would escort her back to Canterlot. She seemed just like her normal self to them, but some said later that they could hear soft sobbing from inside the carriage they pulled.
