Arc Two: Mirror, Mirror
Part Six

The sun was beginning to set.

From what Weiss had heard, the sun was controlled by Princess Celestia - Luna’s older sister. It was hard to believe, but so was waking up after dying in an alternate world populated by ponies. So at this point, Weiss was willing to believe anything. Almost anything.

Her room had a single window that gave her a breathtaking view outside of the castle. Thanks to the sheer height of the tower, and the position of her room, Weiss was able to see the city of Canterlot, with a field of greenery stretching as far as the eye could see. There were a few other towns she could spot - the closest was a village with a castle in the shape of a tree. Flowers told her that it was called “Ponyville”, and that another princess lived there.

There was so much to see. So much about this world that she didn’t know. Other species existed, ones that were just as intelligent as the ponies. Other kingdoms, other civilizations, each with their own rich histories and peoples. She had to wonder what they were like. There was no way Celestia and Luna expected her to stay in the castle forever. Weiss had had enough of that back in Atlas.

As much as it seemed hard to believe, she ended up here. She died and ended up in a magic world of magic creatures. With magic. And if she was here... Who was to say that her team hadn’t done the same? As much as she hated to admit it, Blake had probably faced the same fate the rest of Team RWBY did. Ruby and Yang had perished before her eyes, and Blake had still been fighting when she died. But there was no way that Roman would let Blake live.

Weiss needed to be sure that she was alone.

She needed to go out into the world and look for them.

The Princesses gave her an opportunity to work for them - to be put in combat situations too dangerous for others. Basically the same as a Huntress right? Fighting, protecting others... But Weiss didn’t exactly like the idea of working directly with the rulers of the country. A Huntress could govern herself, and therefore control what work she took. Could she be given the same freedom under the Princesses? Weiss promised herself to talk to Luna sometime soon.

“What’cha thinkin’ about?”

Despite herself, Weiss jumped as she turned around with Myrtenaster held at the ready. She hardly relaxed when she realized Discord was floating in front of her, lying on his side, lounging on thin air with a cocky grin. “Hello, Weiss.” He said in his smooth voice, leaning closer. “I felt like popping in to see you before I tuck in for the night. I try to make a habit of letting in touch with friends!”

Weiss lowered her weapon with a scoff and turned away from him. “We aren't friends, Discord.” She summoned a Glyph behind her which shut the window as she began to walk away. “You are an annoyance that seems to be unwilling to leave me alone.”

Discord’s gaze followed her as she walked over to the bed and sat on it's edge. “Sheesh. Talk about being an Ice Queen.” Weiss tried not to react to the familiar nickname, but Discord's grin told her that she had failed. “Well, Weiss, I'll leave you alone, but I just want you to answer a question. A simple question, I don't think it'll be that hard.” He snapped, and appeared in front of her in a white flash. “Capiche?”

Weiss grunted in annoyance and shook her head. “Fine. But you have to answer one of my own.”

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as he grinned. “Excellent! My question is,” he leaned in close and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “How well did you know your friends? How close were you? I’m only asking because from what I hear, you used to be a bit of a... how did she put it? An Ice Queen. You weren’t the most friendly of friends. I just want to know how you really felt about them.”

“What...? Why would you ask that?”

Instead of answering, Discord put a finger to her lips. “Ah, ah ah! Don’t waste your question. Now answer mine, please.”

Weiss tilted her head downward and frowned, falling silent for a few seconds before answering. “I only knew... I’ve only known them for a few months...” she began slowly. “But... they’ve all treated me more like family than my actual family. Ruby is excitable but loyal, and Yang is somehow simultaneously infuriating with her jokes but warm and caring in a way I’ve never experienced. And Blake...”

Discord’s grin widened as he leaned forward. “Do go on...”

“Blake... took some getting used to. We come from completely different backgrounds and didn’t... exactly see eye to eye on certain topics... But now, I can say without a doubt that she, and Ruby and Yang, were some of the best people I’ve ever known. I literally died for them.” Weiss cracked a small smile at her own joke but failed to find any humor in it. “I miss them.”

Discord hummed to himself, his eyes looking Weiss over as he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. “Very enlightening, Weiss. Thank you, truly. I promise everything will be explained soon - I just need to have a small chat with your princess friend. But before I go - what was your question?”

Weiss nodded and stood from the bed. “Can you send me home?”

Discord flew back as if struck, his eyes wide. “Oh, going straight for the kill, are we?” He floated through the air on his back, hands behind his head as he let out a laugh. “Boy, will I ever know what to expect from you? Anyway,” A flash of white, and he stood next to Weiss. “Allow me to demonstrate.”

“What-”

His paw grew, and he grabbed the air in front of them. A ripping sound echoed through the room as Discord seemed to tear a hole into the very space in front of them. Weiss flinched from the sound and when her eyes opened, a vortex of swirling blue was floating before her. “I-I...” It looked wrong, like a picture that had been poorly edited.

“This, my dear,” Discord began smoothly. “Is a portal to another world. If you wished, you could go through, but it would be nowhere near your home. Our universe, and all the other universes, have a set of rules where magic is concerned. Your home is just a little bit outside of our rules. I can’t send you home.”

Weiss’ breath hitched and her eyes shut themselves tightly. “... I figured as much.” She said slowly. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. Nothing ever came easy to her. Why would that change on a different world? She took in a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes. Discord was looking at her with an expression she hadn’t seen on him before - a soft look, not quite pity but not neutral. It was odd.

“I wish I could offer more of an explanation, Weiss. But I feel it would be best if you asked Celestia, if you want to know more.” Suddenly, his face brightened and a large smile appeared on his lips, seeming to stretch past his face. “If you ever want to talk, I’ll be in Ponyville. Just look for the cottage on the edge of town - Fluttershy loves to get visits from strangers. Ta ta!”

And with a final snap, he was gone in a flash of light.

Captain Flowers walked a few steps ahead of Weiss, who had tuned out his upbeat talking. He had been happy to escort her to the throne room, which was not on this floor and thus was usually off-limits, but Flowers had said that the princesses would allow it as long as it was really important.

Weiss didn’t particularly care if Celestia and Luna allowed it or not. She wanted to respect their rules - she was essentially a guest in the castle - but at the same time, she found it hard to really care about following the rules when she could be doing something productive. Like finding her friends and/or a way home.

It was getting late out, and Flowers assured Weiss that no citizen ponies would be in the castle at this hour, and he knew what routes to take to avoid all of the servants (Weiss had called him paranoid for memorizing their schedules, but he said it was “diligence”). It hadn’t been a long walk to the throne room, but to Weiss, it felt as if it lasted forever. She felt as if she were back home, answering a summons from her father.

“Now Weiss,” Flowers said, stopping and stepping to the side as they reached a huge, grandiose door. “I need to go. There’s a bit of a ruckus going down in a town not too far from here, and Princess Twilight needs me to round up a few guards and help out.”

Weiss turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “So, what, if I get in trouble for this, you conveniently get to walk away?”

Flowers’ face fell. A few seconds of silence passed before he let out a loud laugh. “Ahaha! That’s a good one, Weiss. Don’t worry - if you do get in trouble, you can tell them I helped you and I’ll go down with you. But don’t worry, I one hundred percent believe that everything will be fine.” With that, he turned and began walking away. “I’ll see you soon!”

Weiss let out a “hmph!” and crossed her arms as she turned towards the door. Alright, then. She could do this just fine on her own.

She took a in a breath and stepped forward, placed a hand on the giant door, and pushed. Weiss stumbled as the door swung open, surprisingly light for its size. She regained her balance just in time for the door to collide against the wall with a light crash, causing the occupants of the throne room to glance at her. Princess Celestia sat in her throne while Princess Luna stood off to the left, their hair flowing majestically despite the lack of wind.

It was quiet for all of a second before Princess Luna spoke. “Weiss?” She asked, taking a small step forward. “What are you doing here? We told Flowers not to let you leave your floor.”

Weiss walked towards the royal sisters, an annoyed expression on her face. “I’m not your prisoner. Captain Flowers assured me there would be no one in the castle that didn’t already know I exist. I don’t see the harm in me being allowed to walk freely.”

Luna shook her head and began took a few steps towards Weiss. “Be that as it may, Weiss, we put that rule in place for a reason. Why would Flowers-?”

“Weiss, Luna, enough.” Princess Celestia’s voice stopped both of them in their tracks, and they turned to look at the elder sister. Her face was completely neutral, not a trace of emotion to be seen. “Weiss,” she flicked her gaze to the human. “I understand your frustration, but the rules that my sister and I have imposed are there for good reason. And you are correct, you are not a prisoner here. You are our guest. A guest in our home.” Celestia’s face hardened ever so slightly, sending a shiver through Weiss’ spine.

“My sister trusts you a great deal. She has seen your memories and as such, can vouch for your character. I have not seen your memories. I have only your actions in the last few days to go on. My trust is not earned easily, Weiss, and this action is not helping matters.”

Weiss resisted the urge to scoff and settled for making a fist. “Your lack of trust didn’t stop you from offering me that job. You trust me enough to work for you, but not enough to let me walk around the castle?” She crossed her arms yet again and pointed her nose into the air.

Celestia let out a hum and shook her head. “I have my reasons. And I assume you do as well, for barging into our throne room. What did you come here for, Weiss?” Weiss decided not to point out the blatant change of topic.

“I need you to answer a question. Then, I promise to go back to my room and not leave that floor, like you asked. But I want a straight answer. I am very well-versed in half-truths and white lies, Princess.” As she spoke, Weiss extended her arm and pointed a finger at Celestia. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luna stiffen.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “And this couldn’t have waited until the morning?”

“No.” Weiss said bluntly.

“Very well. Come, ask your question, then I’ll send you on your way.” Celestia said, gesturing towards herself and Luna with a hoof. Weiss stood still for a second, eyeing the sisters before walking forward. Neither of the princesses took their eyes off of Weiss as she approached.

Weiss came to a stop in front of Celestia, and the two locked eyes. It wasn’t much of a staring match - Weiss did her best to not look irritated and she couldn’t sense any emotions behind Celestia’s eyes.

“Can you send me home?”

Weiss took a slight bit of pleasure in the way the white alicorn’s eyes widened ever so slightly. She heard Luna’s breath hitch off to the side, but Weiss refused to look away from Celestia. “I asked Discord the same question,” she continued. “And he said no. He told me that there was a set of rules magic had to follow, and that’s why he can’t help me. Can you?”

Celestia’s eyes stared into Weiss’, unblinking, as the heiress’ question hung in the air. Celestia eventually closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “Discord... has he been speaking to you? What does he say?”

Weiss let out a ugh and crossed her arms. “A bunch of nothing. One moment he loves to torment me and the next he’s acting like he cares. I don’t know why he’d care about me. I just wish he’d leave me alone.” She neglected to mention the tampering with Myrtenaster. ‘Infinite ammo’, he’d said. Could come in handy, if he was telling the truth.

“Hm. That certainly sounds like him.” Celestia humphed with a slight roll of her eye. “You say he mentioned rules. Am I right in that he didn’t say what these rules are?” When Weiss nodded, Celestia sighed. “He just as easily could have explained this to you himself, but no, he prefers to play his cryptic games...”

Weiss stepped back as Celestia stood. “Follow me, Weiss. I’ll explain everything.” The princess stepped past Weiss, walking towards the center of the room where she stopped, with Luna following not far behind. Weiss shrugged and walked after them.

“Now, Weiss,” Luna began, stopping beside her sister. “What we’re about to tell you may be hard to believe, but I think you can handle it. I apologize for not telling you everything sooner.”

Weiss nodded at Luna. “Apology accepted. I’m sorry for bursting in here. But I need to know.”

Celestia interrupted, her wings spread out at her sides and her horn glowing a brilliant gold. “Weiss, please prepare yourself. What you’re about to see... may be overwhelming.”

Before she could ask what Celestia meant, the light from her horn turned into a blinding white, causing Weiss to cover her face with her arm. The light began to grow ever brighter, and brighter, until it became so bright that Weiss could see nothing but white even with her eyes closed. Her eyes began to strain against the light as her body began to feel lighter. A warm, soothing sensation came over her as she felt her feet leave the ground.

Her feet touched down again not even a second later. The light began to fade away until the pain in her eyes went away. Ever so slowly, Weiss opened her eyes.

All around her, a sea of stars shone brightly. There seemed to be no up or down - only a sea of warm blue and stars of all colors. Her arms fell to her sides, feeling as if they were moving through water. “Wha...” Weiss started, staring dumbly at the sight.

“Welcome, Weiss.” Luna said, suddenly at Weiss’ side. Weiss jumped, but Luna placed a soothing hoof on Weiss’ shoulder. “Do not be afraid. You are completely safe here.”

Weiss looked at Luna for a second, the princess’s face harboring a small smile. Weiss then looked around her again. “... Here?”

“Here,” Celestia said, also suddenly appearing at her side, though this time Weiss didn’t startle. “Here is the fabric of our world. This is the very lifeblood of our existence. This, Weiss...

“Is the realm of all magic.”

Arc Two: Mirror, Mirror

End

Author's Note

Hey, y'all. I'm back. And on the day of Volume 6's premier, too! (No spoilers in the comments, please.)

So sorry for how fucking long this took. Depression hit me like a truck, a lot of family issues took up my time and made my depression worse...

but hey, here it is. This was originally gonna be the last part of Mirror, Mirror, but it was getting too long so I had to split it. Next chapter will either be the last part of the arc, or the epilogue - I haven't decided yet. Depends on how much I cram into it.

But, anyway, next chapter: Weiss gets some answers about magic, the universe, and how she got to Equestria.
-Qrow