I stood in the memory of my library and couldn't decide where I shouldn't look first.
The books I hadn't checked back in. The shawl Rarity made for me during one of Ponyville's coldest winters. My beloved books, those closest and dearest gifts from friends and family, would be on their shelves upstairs. I could fetch my telescope and it would be as pristine as the day I had purchased it.
I just wouldn't be able to take it home with me.
“I'm sorry about this,” said Princess Celestia. She had stayed by the front door, with her wings folded and her head lowered. “But you must understand why I asked for your help.”
I nodded. Of course I understood. This had been my home, after all, but when a fit of madness consumed me and I raged at all Equestria, would I be sure that this place no longer existed? Would I react badly, finding something that I'd grown to live without? I needed enough safety, so I wouldn't hurt anypony who came in after me.
Looking out the window at the cheery Ponvyille beyond, I saw so many ponies I knew. Rose and Daisy fleeing from a remote-controlled parasprite the Cutie Mark Crusaders invented. A Rainbow Dash-caused contrail crossing the far-off skyline. And Mayor Mare out there, doing whatever a mayor in my memory did.
They were all from the recesses of my own mind. Not one real pony. This a refuge from reality, after all.
All alicorns had a mirror made for them. A place of safety if they turned to bitterness and resentment, to the darker side of their magic. As long as anger clouded their minds, they wouldn't see the way out. They would be locked in, safe from Equestria, and Equestria safe from them. The necessity of banishing Luna for so many centuries had forced Princess Celestia's hoof, and the mirrors were her solution.
Of course, coaxing an unhappy alicorn to enter their own prison willingly wouldn't be easy. They would have to want to go there. Which was why I had come to my own private prison today. I had some changes to consider in the aftermath of my fight with Tirek.
My mirror held the one thing I adored most: my friends. Those hadn't changed one whit, but their environment had. With my library tree destroyed and a new castle as my home, I had come to make a decision.
I considered the stairs. My old bed called to me, offering one more chance to lie on it. My hip would thank me if I did. But now wasn't the time. If I indulged, I might stay much longer than planned. “I'm not going to replace this memory, Princess. If I have to hide somewhere for the good of Equestria, this is it. I'll be disoriented, but I'm sure I'll calm down much faster if I find myself back here.”
Celestia let her breath out, as if she'd secretly held it. “I agree. Cadance did much the same thing after she moved to the Crystal Empire. The chances of Sombra's legacy influencing her are slim, but she doesn't want to find herself in a palace that she doesn't trust. In her mind, Canterlot is the safest space where she could hide.”
Sure, somewhere near my brother, most likely. How many memories would I skitter sideways to avoid if I ever set hoof in Cadance's mirror? “Uh-huh. Are we done here?” I didn't want to leave, per se. Therein lay the problem. I stood inside a warm, comforting home built from my own memory. Discomfort lurked outside. Pain, heartache, fun, love, and responsibility lay out there, waiting for me.
I really ought to be a good little alicorn and get back to it.
Princess Celestia twitched a wing, and a glowing oval opened up in midair, just to the side of the library's wooden door. “Thank you, Twilight. We must be sure of these things.”
“I know.” Equestria wouldn't see another Princess leave, even if it made an alicorn uncomfortable to work on her own prison. Which it didn't, honestly. I liked knowing my library would live on, even on the other side of a secretly made, last-ditch refuge for a maddened mare. “Did you want to stop by your own mirror and see if you need a new pastry chef?” That's right; make a silly joke to defuse the situation.
Celestia's snort ruffled my wings as I hopped aside. “Cake is calming.”
“If you want bliss, Princess, you should have one of Applejack's pies and add that memory into your mirror.” As I ducked into the light, my hooves clicked on stone rather than lovely, soft library wood. After a few more steps, the light faded and I emerged from my mirror into a vault beneath Canterlot Castle. “She's fed us so often after one of our adventures. I'm sure that it's the first thing waiting for me if I return here.”
I turned around and watched Celestia step out of my mirror. I had chosen a dark brown frame for it, the colour of well-handled wood. Bright gems studded the frame in places, reminiscent of my friends' coats. Dust-free and well-polished, it showed somepony was taking good care of it.
“Canterlot and Ponyville aren't too far apart, but I still wonder,” she said, flicking her tail free. The glass shimmered one last time before solidifying. “I know we all thought you would spend more time here, but your duties clearly lie in Ponyville. I'm grateful we didn't put this in the library, but have you considered taking it back with you?”
“My duties are sending me across Equestria,” I pointed out, “so it might not matter. I can transport myself to Canterlot as easily as Ponyville if needed.” The random hop-skip-and-jump across Equestria that I'd done before colliding with Tirek gave me a great deal of insight on focus and control. Never mind that I'd transported into the middle of a rock. If I could move with so much power distracting me, I could move in my madness.
“Very well, Twilight.” Celestia's magic glowed as it picked up the sheet hanging nearby and re-covered my mirror. “Shall we—” Her head suddenly turned to the side and her ears pricked as she gazed down the hall.
I rolled my eyes in resignation. “Princess, if you wanted me to visit and do something strange, you could have just asked.” As much as I adored my mentor, she still tended to make plans and not tell the participants. Given where we were and what I'd just done, Celestia probably planned for me to step into another pony's mirror and save whatever world flourished inside.
She raised a hoof, ears still tilted forward, but her expression remained neutral. “I wasn't sure if she would be ready. It's very difficult to arrange these sorts of things, given how the mirrors work.”
Yes, nothing like hiding away in your own reality for years on end to lose track of time. I rotated my ears, and strained to hear what Celestia did. Nope, not picking up anything. Must be one of those 'Celestia-only' frequencies. “Are we expecting somepony?”
“Sunset Shimmer.”
Ah, the legendary Sunset Shimmer. Only heard of her, never actually spoke with her. I had helped contribute to the fantasy world she lived in for the last couple of decades, though.
Royal rumour told of Sunset's rebellion against Celestia, all because she wouldn't make Sunset an alicorn. Sunset subsequently vanished into thin air in a fit of pique. Some said she found a way to another world. Truthfully, yes, she vanished, but she also became an alicorn. She hadn't changed worlds, merely realities.
One shouldn't turn into an alicorn with the wrong motives in her heart. Also, one really shouldn't turn into an alicorn without the means to handle the power that came with it. I was both lucky, and absurdly powerful enough, to survive the transition, but Sunset ... ran into some problems. Fortunately, Celestia possessed a mirror. It was incomplete, but enough to hold her.
The world inside came from Celestia's memories of a place she had visited with Star Swirl the Bearded. A high school world, filled with cliques, structure and power: all the things Sunset Shimmer craved. As the years passed, Celestia made sure time also passed in the mirror's version of Equestria.
Which meant I became her student in that world. Sunset Shimmer began to obsess about me, too. Celestia saw this as a sign she could accept her limits, and asked me if I would contribute to the mirror matrix. I wasn't completely comfortable allowing a mad alicorn access to that much of my memories, but Celestia felt that it would help, rather than hurt.
It paid off. Sunset apparently made a great deal of progress, helped by a version of me and some alternate-world creations of my friends. It seemed ponies like Rarity and Applejack were as helpful from my memories as they were in reality.
“So, she's well enough to come out of her sanctuary?” I asked. Another alicorn returning to Equestria would be ... interesting. Especially another of Celestia's former students.
“The other you apparently had a talk with her.” Celestia's muzzle twitched. “She's come to terms with her powers after some kind of battle in the high school. She's aware of her surroundings and she can see the exit available. Sunset can return home if she chooses, but instead she waits in her Equestria.”
“For what?” I put my hoof to my chest. “For us?”
“For you. She wants to meet the real Twilight Sparkle. Her mirror signalled that she's willing to step out. I let it know that we would be nearby today.”
A pan-dimensional calling card, then. I should get myself some of those, too.
A pale violet frame came into view as we walked, almost in the shape of a horseshoe. Detailed scrollwork flowed down both sides, and rubies studded the frame right down to the circular base. The glass shone with an audible twinkle as we approached.
“She's watching,” Celestia murmured. “Twilight, please touch it.”
I obediently reached up and tapped the glass with a hoof. The mirror warped from top to bottom, rippling like water beneath my touch. A low tone sounded, as if a large bell had gone off somewhere.
As I pulled back, an orange hoof followed mine, extending from the mirror. A horn poked out, followed by a rich red and yellow mane curling down Sunset Shimmer's shoulders. The brightness of her smile matched the orange and red sun on her flank. “Twilight! Good to see you again. It's not the same back at Canterlot High without you there.” She shook her head as she stepped free of the mirror. “Sorry, I know it's not really you, but to me it is.”
She stepped off the dais and unfurled her wings. My chin lifted slightly to gaze up at her. She had a few years and inches of alicornhood on me. “How good to see you for the first time, Sunset Shimmer.” I submitted to her warm hug. “You know so much about me, but all I know about you is what Princess Celestia has told me.”
“We should rectify that,” the orange alicorn agreed. She let me go and nodded at Celestia. “I'm sorry I missed the whole thing with Tirek.”
“If he had known about your mirror, there would have been more problems than just the fate of Equestria.” Celestia flared her wings and nodded back. “But I'm pleased to find you back in your own mind, Sunset Shimmer.”
“It took a while to bale up all my hay, but you made sure I had help. I can't ever thank you enough for that, Princess.” Sunset smiled and turned away from the mirror, walking down the vault and motioning for me to join her. I fell into step with her, the two of us moving away from Celestia.
Once we had put some distance between us and our mutual mentor, Sunset opened her wings and leaned closer. “I can't stay long. Things are happening at school that I really should get back to, but I wanted to meet the true you ever since I learned where I was. Thank you for helping, Twilight. Without your memories, your aspect, and those of your friends you put in, I'd have never found my way out.”
“Why aren't you staying?” I asked.
“Too many Princesses, not enough kingdoms, for starters,” Sunset said. She looked down at her hooves. “Plus I'm now responsible for that mirror's universe. If I left it, they all might vanish, and I can't let that happen. Well, not right away. A world like that needs guidance to wind down safely, and I'm told it takes time."
Sunset looked back over her wing at Celestia, who watched us. “Also, I'm concerned by incidents in her memories. Old foes of Starswirl the Bearded showed up recently, and you and I crushed them in a manner I'm not completely happy with. You should look into his history and learn what happened to the real Sirens. They might need help in whatever world they ended up. Don't let Celestia ignore your questions. If she won't help, then ask Vice-Principal—I mean, Princess Luna.”
“You're stuck in a permanent high school.” I shook my head. “I'm not sure if I pity you or if I want to join you. Are you at least spending time in your Equestria?”
“Occasionally. I'm still a unicorn there, though.” Sunset flapped her wings once. “Thank goodness. I don't think I'm ready for flying lessons. You told me all about yours.”
Oh no, this wasn't at all weird, talking with a pony learning from another version of me like we were best friends. “Did I crash a lot there, too?”
Sunset nodded, grinning. “I think my Rainbow Dash would leap through the mirror portal in a second if it meant having wings more often.” She chuckled. “Is yours as an insensitive jock as mine is?”
“She can be.” We reached the end of the vault and turned around to walk back. “Your friends are from my head, so they may not be exactly as they are here. I'm not even sure who I am in your world.”
“You're my friend,” Sunset said, looking ahead at Celestia, “and you're welcome to visit any time. I'll let the other you know that she might see herself around, just in case. Watch out if you come further, through the Equestrian mirror into Canterlot High, though. Everyone there thinks very highly of you. It could be overwhelming.”
“You're telling me,” I muttered. “Even this is a bit much.”
“But I'm glad you're here.” Sunset brushed her wing against mine. “Celestia didn't tell you I was coming?”
I shrugged. “It's not like she could write that information down. Spike knows about my mirror. He doesn't know there's a fifth alicorn hiding away down here.”
She chuckled. “A fifth. If only that were all. I remember when I helped Celestia with ... well, you might meet her someday.” As we approached her mirror, Sunset sighed. “Twilight, I really want to stay and spend some time with you, but I’ve been waiting for days in my Equestria for this chance. Rainbow’s probably tried to take back the lead guitar role in our band by now.”
I hugged her this time, pressing my muzzle against her withers. “I wish you could stay longer, too. It’s only been a few minutes.”
Her laugh made my heart skip. “Sometimes, a few minutes is all it takes to make a difference.” Her wings rustled, and she settled them down with a growl. “We both know that’s how we wound up with these.”
I grunted. “Stupid Starswirl and his unfinished spells.”
“Starswirl?” She laughed again. “Princess Platinum’s artifacts made me like this!” She bowed to Celestia. “It was nice seeing the real you again. My Celestia is very forgiving. Twilight dearly values that part of you.”
Celestia bowed back, lower than Sunset had. “I hope this won't be the last we'll see of you, Sunset Shimmer. Equestria is open to you, now and always.”
She acknowledged the gesture, then winked at me and stepped up on her dais. “Well, time waits for no mare in this world. Plus I've got homework due tomorrow, and I am not sitting in detention with Applejack and Rainbow Dash again.” She ducked back into her mirror, the glass rippling around her. Her striped tail vanished last, with a shimmer and a shake, then my reflection stilled.
I ruffled my wings, grinning. "She certainly seemed nice."
Celestia nodded. “She looked happy. I worried that part of her had been lost in the rage at her transformation.” She lit her horn up, and another drop-cloth floated over to cover the mirror. “You know, perhaps we should visit my mirror, after all. There are no calories in imaginary cake, and I feel the need for something guilt-free.”
"I'm coming, too." I adjusted the fabric so it fell nicely around the base of Sunset's mirror. "Somepony has to remember the way out after you fall into an imaginary white-chocolate fudge brownie and whipped cream coma."
This was the life of an alicorn. Ponies flocked to you when you were happy, and fled when you were troubled, but your friends would follow you just about anywhere, even into the world you'd made for yourself.
Especially if you had cake.
