Past is Present

Chapter 15

The Mare in the Mirror

"I got it! I got it!" came the dull voice of the long, lanky red head as she ran up the stairs of the volcano holding a vial of dark liquid in her hand. A plump witch with black pigtails tackled her, catching the vial as it flew from her sister's hand.

"No, I got it!" she cried triumphantly, stepping on Draggle's head as she started up the steps. Draggle shot her sister an icy glare. As the plump witch continued her run from out of nowhere the red head swooped down from above and snatched the vial.

"No, I got it." she finished with a dull laugh. She was so caught up in her success she failed to notice the flat rock face before her. She crashed into it with a loud thud, her body flattened against it in a comically contorted position. The vial fell from her fingers and into her sister, Reeka's, waiting hands.

"Momma, momma, I got it!" she cried. Just then Draggle pounced upon her from above and the vial flew from her hands. Both witches grabbed for it but it tottered over the edge and fell. The witches let out a cry of horror.

"No, I believe I have it." the vial rose surrounded by an aura of red light. It landed neatly in the outstretched hand of the cloaked figure who stood next to the cauldron, accompanied by the ancient witch Hydia.

"You two girls are a disgrace to witches everywhere!" Hydia scolded the pair.

"We're sorry momma." the dull voiced witch said. Immediately she realized her mistake. "I mean Hydia! Hydia!" But she was too late for correction. Hydia waved her walking stick and turned her daughter into a newt. She picked up the newt by the tail and held it before her eyes.

"I just don't know where I went wrong." she said, her disappointment evident.

"We got the Ponies' Sadness." Reeka said, stuffing a half rotten fish into her mouth and chewing while she continued. "The plan worked just like you said, when the ponies' banished the sorrow spell we were able to collect it.

"Very good." the cloaked figure purred. "Now we only need one more ingredient to complete the spell."

"Then it'll mean the end of Fluttervalley forever!" Hydia exaulted. Waving her wand she pointed it at Draggle who had climbed partially up a wall to escape from her mother's cauldron. Instantly Draggle transformed into a human again and fell to the stony ground. "Think of it! No more Flutterponies!"

"I need you to get the Lavander and Pink wands from the Princesses Serena and Starburst. Their power is the final ingredient we need to finish the spell." the cloaked figure directed the witches.

"And once we do..." Draggle began,

"It'll be the end of Flutter Valley..." Reeka added,

"Forever!" the three witches cackled in unison.

The golden ball rolled across the floor to the little blue alicorn who reached out for it. Without warning, the ball glowed pale yellow and flew away from the child. "Daddy, Celestia won't let me play with the ball!" the filly cried.

"Celestia, don't tease your sister." Night Moon scolded.

"But Daddy!" Celestia whinnied.

"Can I play?" a small pink pegasus filly yawned, trying to stand in her crib.

"Yeah, Daddy - can Cadence play?" the two fillies, their fight forgotten, pleaded.

"What do you say Honeysuckle?" Night Moon asked, looking to the mother. Honeysuckle smiled and nodded.

"Yay!" the trio of fillies cried in unison as Night Moon lifted Cadence from the crib to join her friends.

"Now, play carefully- oh!" Morning Glory cried.

"Mommy, is baby brother acting up again?" Celestia lisped.

"What makes you sure it's going to be a brother? It might be a sister." Morning Glory gently teased the child.

"Oh, the Mare in the Mirror told me."

"The Mare in the Mirror?" Night Moon looked to his wife, perplexed.

"It's just their imaginary friend." Morning Glory assured him.

"She's not imaginary, she's real!" Celestia insisted. "She comes to play with us every night and tells us stories! She told me mommy's going to give us a little brother." Celestia and Luna approached their mother's bulging belly. "Hello little brother!" she called.

"Come out soon so we can play!" Luna added.

"Go on girls." Night Moon urged and the three fillies ran off into the castle. He looked to his wife's belly, "Well, not too soon." he murmured and gave his wife a nuzzle.

"Only one more month." Morning Glory said. "Oh, their ball!" she cried, watching the golden ball roll from the room.

"Let me get it." Night Moon volunteered.

"No, let me get it while I still can." she teased, following the ball into the corridor. Just as it seemed to be slowing and Morning Glory bent down to pick it up, suddenly the ball bounced away from her muzzle and down the hall. "Oh!" she cried in surprise, following the ball as it rolled through the halls and stopped before the strangely lit doorway of a room. "Huh, I don't think I've ever seen this room before." she said to herself. The doorway to the room was topped by a glowing purple crystal - much like the one that formed the backing of King Sombra's throne. The ball rolled into the room. "Now, you get back here!" Morning Glory called, following it into the room. The room itself was filled with piles of old furniture, most covered by sun stained white sheets, dust hung in the air illuminated by the light of a single window. Morning Glory crinkled her nose as she breathed in the musty aroma. She thought she heard a sound like laughter - or could it have just been a bird? Her head snapped to follow a movement only caught in the corner of her eye. There was that sound again! "There you are!" she cried, spotting the golden ball nestled against the foot of an old mirror from which a draped sheet nearly obscured the reflective surface. "I've got you now!" she said victoriously as the picked up the ball. Raising her head, the ball fell from her open mouth and bounced to the floor. Staring back at her was not her own reflection but that of a pale green unicorn with a multicolor mane.

"Hello." the apparition said.

"The Mare in the Mirror!" she cried in terror, instinctively backing up.

"Don't be afraid, Morning Glory."

"H-how do you know my name? Who are you?" Morning Glory stuttered.

"My name is Mimic. I see my grandcolt is getting big now." the mare said, looking Morning Glory over.

"You-you're Night Moon's mother?"

"Yes, I've been watching over him and you ever since Sombra trapped me in here." Mimic said, rearing and placing her hooves on the glass.

"Why would he do such a thing?"

"Because I wouldn't tell him where I hid the golden horseshoes when I realized his evil intentions to use their power to conquer all of Ponyland."

"The golden horseshoes? I'd heard of them in pony lore but I didn't know they actually existed."

"They were brought to Ponyland from Argite by my ancestor, the first Unicorn, and lost for centuries until only recently when the ponies of Dream Valley found them and returned them to me. They hold great power when united; in the wrong hooves a pony could rule all of Ponyland. I was a fool, I truly believed Sombra loved me, but it was only the power of the golden horseshoes that he loved. So I hid them where he will never find them." she related the final sentence triumphantly. Morning Glory could scarcely believe her ears! To think the good King of the Crystal Empire had done such a wicked thing was almost unbelievable - yet the proof was standing before her. "His lust for power is endless - he has already consumed Princess Tiffany's wand's power and has now moved on to draining the power of her kingdom. Do not be deceived! He intends to use my grandfillies for their powers once he has finished draining the power of the Crystal Heart. You must get them away from the Crystal Empire before he can! To you I give the secret of the Golden Horseshoes." her horn glowed and suddenly the golden ball transformed into four golden horseshoes. "The first grants you the power to see the future, the second to read minds, the third gives levitation, and the fourth generates light. Use them to make your escape."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine." she reassured the flutterpony, but a moment of sadness flashed upon her face that gave Morning Glory pause. "Don't worry about me. If Sombra is able to harness the power of the alicorns all will be lost. Only they hold the power to defeat him. Now go and save your family!"