A Year In the Mirror

A Year in the Mirror

Leaves crunched under FallenStar’s hooves as she ran. From the position of the moon, she knew time was short. Everything was in place. Everything was ready. She’d even managed to get VIP tickets for tomorrow night, a favor she’d been holding on to for a long time.

Now she just had to get started. The cold fall air was filled with the soothing scent of flowers. She passed her neighbor’s house and ran towards her front door, only slowing to open the door. She’d have flown home, of course, but the saddlebag on her back was improperly secured, and she couldn’t risk its contents falling to the ground. Carefully, she extracted the canvas-wrapped bundle and set it on her dresser. Ten minutes. Right?

The tall clock in the living room said only seven minutes remained. She rushed into the bathroom, and in a fit of desperation, tried to make her mane and tail more presentable. They’d been perfect before she had to make the last-second flight to the stitchery. But now there was only so much her brush could do.

She left the bathroom after her best efforts, walking quickly to her bedroom. She knew she should arrive gracefully and slowly, the perfect image of composure and grace. She bit her lip and opened the door.

He was there, of course, waiting with a broad smile for her. RisingStar looked perfect, like he always did. Her eyes danced over those broad shoulders, chiseled jaw, and a smoldering grin that always made her heart flutter.

He mouthed “Hello, beautiful.” It had been weeks since she’d last heard his voice, but now they were so close. She only had to wait for midnight. She stepped up to the smooth surface of the mirror, raising her hoof and pressing it against the cool surface. He did the same. The shape and color of the two hooves were almost identical, though his hoof was slightly larger.

FallenStar felt her ears and tail twitching. She tried in vain to keep them calm. Glancing over at the clock revealed that it was already midnight. Shouldn’t the mirror have-

But then she wasn’t pressing her hoof against glass anymore. Suddenly warm flesh met her own. RisingStar wasn’t just some figure in the mirror. He was there, right on the other side of the frame.

“I’ve mis-oof!” he said, his sentence cut short by FallenStar pouncing on top of him. “It’s good to see you too,” he said, wrapping his forelegs around her.

“Do you realize what today is?” she asked, sitting up. She was unable to keep a smile off of her face. Rising’s eyebrows went up and his smile drooped slightly.

“Thursday?” he said in an uncertain tone.

“It’s September 19th…” she said, her smile faltering. “Don’t you remember? It’s been a year since we met.”

“Has it?” Rising said after a moment of concentration. “Wow, FallenStar, I wish I would have remembered,”

“It’s ok,” she said, getting to her hooves. She’d put so much time and effort into planning the next day and he hadn’t even remembered? Her heart sunk. She turned back towards her own room.

Only to catch sight of a beautiful bouquet of lilacs and tulips, placed right next to the mirror. Next to them was a card, the surface bearing elegant calligraphy. To my love, it said. Without a word, she jumped over and opened the card.

My love,

I can hardly believe that it’s been a year since we first met. I think of you every day. You’ve made my life complete and I love you with all my heart.

“Oh, Rising!” she said, turning around and hugging him. She brushed a tear from her eye. “You remembered.”

“Of course I remembered,” he said, rubbing the top of her forehead. FallenStar plucked a lilac from the vase and took a bite.

“They’re perfect,” she said, the delicate petals providing a gentle wash of flavor.

“I can’t wait to see what you have in store,” Rising said as they stepped through the frame into Fallen’s world. “You’ve been so excited in your letters, telling me that you had a big surprise ready.”

“Well, you get your flank in bed,” Fallen said, “tomorrow’s a big day and I want you to be awake for it!” She punched his side gently. “Not like last month when you fell asleep during dinner.”

“I said I was sorry,” Rising chuckled.

When FallenStar awoke, she stretched out her hoof and felt only cold mattress next to her. She opened her eyes and scrunched her muzzle. Had it been a dream? Was today the day the mirror opened? Had something gone wrong?

“Morning, beautiful,” Rising whispered. FallenStar sat up and smiled. RisingStar’s face was framed by golden light, the sun playing across his bronze mane and sparkling in his eyes. His coat had darkened, like it always did after spending some time with her. Now it was a darker blue.

FallenStar sniffed the air. Something smelled amazing.

“I made you breakfast,” Rising said, turning and placing a plate on the bed. Pancakes with a side of oats, and fresh dandelion juice. Her mouth watered at the sight.

“Oh, baby, my favorite!” she said. “What time is it?” she added.

“About nine o’clock, sleepyhead,” Rising said.

That left her just enough time if she hurried. She tucked into the meal with zeal, finishing in record time.

“Wow,” RisingStar said. “I knew I was a good cook, but…”

“Catch me if you can!” She sprung up over the bed and let her wings carry her out of the room, ruffling Rising Star’s hair as she went. He grabbed at her tail but missed.

“Fallen,” he said, laughing. “Where are you going?”

She led him outside of the house and quickly perched on a tree, hiding behind the branches. RisingStar stepped out, looking in all directions for her.

“FallenStar!” he shouted. “What are you doing?”

Just on time, the mailmare swooped in.

“Mister RisingStar?” the grey pegasus said, pulling out a bundle. She held it out slightly to his left, smiling proudly. RisingStar glanced at her misdirected eyes and plucked the package from her hoof.

“Thank you,” he said, and she flew off with a grin. Rising looked at the package a bit closer. The only identifying marks were an address, a name, and a heart. He opened it to find a piece of paper.

FallenStar couldn’t keep a smile off of her face. She rubbed her hooves together in anticipation. He was reading the first clue. She had it memorized, of course.

Two lovers found by magic crazy

Neither one is really lazy

He’d figure it out immediately, right? This was the easiest one. Surely she wouldn’t have long to wait. But instead of bolting off in the right direction, RisingStar looked around confused, then back to the paper.

“Two lovers found…” he muttered. “Is this part of a poem?” He looked around again and spotted her.

“It’s a scavenger hunt!” FallenStar said, a bit disappointed that he hadn’t picked it up right away. She flew around to the back of the house, landing on the soft grass. Well, maybe the first one was a little weird. But now that he knew it was a scavenger hunt he’d figure it out, right?

Rising found her a moment later.

“So was that a clue?” he asked, noticing another package, this one on a stump next to the house.

“Yeah, did you figure it out?” FallenStar asked. Her ears drooped when he didn’t answer. “Neither one of us is lazy, and if you’re not lazy you do work, which is back-breaking? So the back of the house?”

“Oh!” Rising said, his eyebrows rising, then narrowing again. “I think I get it?”

“It’s ok,” FallenStar said, “you’ve got a lot of other riddles you can solve!” She tried to smile and flew into the air. As she flew to the next destination, she thought of the riddle he’d be reading right now.

Like twins but not

Not cold or hot

That had to be easy for him. “Like twins but not” was about them, since they were the same pony but from different worlds. And “not cold or hot?” Easy! She might not even make it to the next clue before he did.

FallenStar paced back and forth, scanning the sky. It had only been… half an hour. He’d figure it out soon, right?

A nearby beekeeper walked up to her.

“Do you think your coltfriend got lost?”

“Yeah, he must have. He would have figured out my riddle, right?”

The beekeeper shrugged.

“I don’t know, darling. You might have been a bit too cryptic.”

“I’ll go find him,” she said.” She flew into the air, looking over Ponyville. In the center of town, ponies worked on a large temporary stage, setting up for tonight’s magic show. FallenStar perched on the water tower. Where was he?

There. She spotted him flying and called out.

“Fallen!” he said when he saw her, and he flew to meet her.

“You didn’t get my clue,” she said, her ears drooping.

“Well… it was a bit hard for me,” he said. “It’s a different world, after all! Can I get a hint?”

“It was the bee farms,” she said. “Not cold or hot? It’s warm, which sounds like swarm?”

“Oh, right!” RisingStar said. “I was so stupid to not get it.” He laughed, but it sounded fake.

“Well, follow me,” Fallen said, turning and heading off. “We’ve got to hurry if we’re going to be on time!”

As they approached Sweet Apple Acres, RisingStar pulled up next to Fallen.

“So what was the next clue?” he asked.

“There was this big list of clues,” she said miserably, “and they were supposed to get you here. The last one was ‘A word that has no rhyme, its secrets lost to time?’”

RisingStar blinked at her.

“A word that has no rhyme, like mirror? And then another word that has no rhyme is ‘orange,’ which are like the orange farms in your Ponyville, but then if you went to those farms here, they’re apple farms?” They landed.

“I’m sorry, my love,” RisingStar said. “I must be terrible at solving riddles.”

FallenStar stared at the ground, scuffing it with her hoof.

“No,” she said. “I’m just terrible at making them.”

RisingStar put his foreleg around her, and she leaned her head against him. She waited a moment before speaking.

“I just really want today to be perfect,” she said. “I feel like every time we come to my world all we do is what I want to do, usually watch clouds and nap, and I wanted to do something fun for you.”

“Every time I’m with you is perfect,” he said.

She smiled, a warm glow filling her chest at his voice.

“Let’s go, though. The Apple family makes the best cider in Equestria, and their first batch comes out today!”

The Apple family was out and about already. From a distance, Fallen and Rising could see the three siblings chasing after something. Applejack and Big Mac were neck-in-neck, but whatever they were chasing must have been quite agile, since they kept changing directions and never seemed to catch whatever it was. Several steps behind them, their little sister ran after them, her little legs moving as fast as they could. Rising spotted Granny Smith sitting next to their apple press, and the two circled in for a landing.

“Is everything ok?” he asked.

“Land sakes, I should say not!” the elderly mare answered. FallenStar felt her heart sink. “We were ready and rarin’ to bring out that first batch of cider when them kit-soo-nay showed up! Varmints stole parts from Ol’ Bessy,” she said, pointing at the cider press, “and until we get them back, nopony’s gonna get a drop of cider.”

Applebloom came trotting up, panting. The filly’s face was as red as her bow, and her large round eyes were filled with tears.

“Ah can’t catch ‘em, Granny!” she said, her voice shaking. “Ah don’t think we’re ever gonna have cider again!”

“Now don’t you worry none,” Granny Smith said. “Your big brother’s the finest wrangler this side of Appleoosa, and your sister’s a harmony of elements, or somethin’ like that. There’s nothin’ they can’t do.”

“So the kitsune have the pieces you need?” FallenStar said, her face suddenly lifting. “Maybe we can help catch them!” Rising nodded his agreement.

“Well, a pair of wings or two might just be what we need to catch them fellers,” Granny said. “Go tell my grandkids so y’all can figure out a battle plan!”

The two pegasi took off into the air again, this time staying low to catch a glimpse of the elusive kitsune. The foxlike creatures were rarely seen near Ponyville. They were intelligent, resourceful, and mischievous as they were cunning. You could always distinguish them from normal foxes by the fire racing down their back, and by the valuables they’d recently stolen.

Twin smoke trails stayed just barely ahead of the racing earth ponies. Even as fast as they were in the air, Fallen and RisingStar had to exert themselves to catch up with the four.

“We’re here to help!” RisingStar yelled as they approached.

“Mighty fine of y’all to stop by!” Applejack yelled. “Only wish that hog-headed Rainbow Dash would’ve come by too.”

“What do we do?” FallenStar asked, looking down at the fiery foxes and back up at Rising. “Do we just grab them?”

“Aren’t you the vet?” RisingStar asked.

“I didn’t learn how to catch them!”

“Nah, don’t be touchin’ em. That’ll just burn ya,” Applejack said. “Ask Mac.”

“Eeyup.”

“We gotta put em out somehow. Try and fly around them so we can corral em into the river!” The pegasi rose quickly, then dove for speed. At the same time, the earth ponies changed their direction, moving to the left of the kitsune. With the pegasi coming down on their right side, the kitsune turned to the left, running at full speed. They didn’t see the water before it was too late. Splash. With a hiss, the two foxes tumbled into the water. FallenStar landed, Applejack pulling one of the foxes out of the river with her teeth. Both it and its friend had lost the will to run, apparently. Instead they dropped the machinery from their mouths and promptly went to sleep.

“Are they going to be ok?” RisingStar asked.

“They’ll be fine,” FallenStar answered before Applejack could. “Kitsune whose fires go out just need to rest until they’re dry again, and the fires will self-ignite. Until then, they’ll be lethargic.”

“Long as they don’t go stealing parts of mah machine again,” Applejack said, tucking both machine parts into her saddlebag. “We still got the primary valve to find. Seems that critter’s… there!” She suddenly yelled, pointing into the trees. FallenStar had enough time to see a toothy grin before the kitsune vanished.

The pegasi went high and came down low again, and everything seemed to be going just like last time. They ducked below the tree line, darting around branches. But just before they hit the river, the kitsune jumped up onto a branch and jumped off of it. The branch rebounded and smacked RisingStar in the leg, sending him tumbling into the water with a splash. FallenStar stopped to help him, leaving the kitsune to land on the other side of the river. Applejack and Big Mac both made the jump, carrying on the chase.

“Are you ok?” FallenStar asked.

“Fine,” RisingStar said. “I didn’t expect that, is all.” The kitsune barked at them and vanished into the trees. FallenStar darted into the air. She glanced around quickly, looking for where it was headed.

“There!” She spotted the kitsune’s smoky trail vanishing into the barn, and they arrived only moments after the Apples did.

Inside the cavernous structure, they heard the fox bark a few times.

“Gol dang critter’s laughin’ at us,” Applejack said. She took a few steps in front of them, looking up at the hay bales stacked against the walls. One to her side suddenly tipped over in her direction.

“AJ!” Big Mac yelled, his massive body suddenly appearing over hers and crashing into the bales, shielding her from the impact. Dust and hay flew everywhere, and in the commotion the kitsune jumped down and ran out the door. Not, however, before it flashed the valve, which it was holding in its tail.

“Ah’m fine, go catch the varmint!” Applejack yelled.

FallenStar and Rising flew out after it again.

“We have to trap it somehow!” RisingStar said. “It’s too fast for us otherwise.”

“Yeah, we can… hang on!” FallenStar said. She flared her wings and came to a sudden stop. “Look over there. Think we can use that?”

FallenStar glided into the barn. She glanced back and forth. looking to either side for the fox. As she looked to the left, a heavy piece of farm equipment fell from the top of the barn. She twisted. Too late. She fell to the ground, her left wing crumpling as she hit.

“Ow!” she yelled. She shakily started to stand before her left hind leg collapsed beneath her. “Ow! Help!” she yelled.

A soft padding noise heralded the kitsune as it stepped down from the hay bales. Its fires were smoking more now, and it had a dangerous gleam in its eyes. There was a scar on its face, a blue line starting at its right eye and running across its muzzle. It slowly walked forwards, its jaw dropping open to reveal rows of bright, sharp teeth. FallenStar’s eyes opened wider and she scooted backwards, looking up and then back at the kitsune. Her wings fluttered uselessly.

The kitsune’s tail lashed forward, throwing sparks her way. She screamed and jumped, continuing to scoot backwards. The kitsune laughed again. The fires on its back built to a roar.

“Now!” FallenStar yelled, jumping to her hooves, her supposedly damaged wing carrying her into the air just fine. The confused kitsune cocked its head to one side just before a torrent of water crashed down on it.

“Perfect!” Fallen yelled, punching the air with a foreleg. RisingStar, holding a now-empty bucket, stood up from behind a hay bale and flew over to her. Immediately his hooves and mouth went to her wing, inspecting it.

“I’m fine, Rising, really!” she said.

“Land, please,” he said, and she did. His touch sent shivers down her tail, making it twitch spastically.

“Really, Rising, it’s ok.”

“You weren’t supposed to get hit!”

“I wasn’t, not really. I just made it look like I was.” There was a short twinge of pain as he pulled a feather out. He gave FallenStar a disapproving look, holding her feather in his mouth.

“Oh, that was falling out anyway,” she said. She bent down towards the kitsune. Fully extinguished, it glared up at them before pulling itself to a sitting position. FallenStar smirked at the creature. It folded its forelegs, looked away, and tossed the valve at them from its tail. FallenStar picked it up in her mouth, and the two rushed off to bring it to the Apples.

As a thanks, the first two glasses of cider from the machine were theirs for free, with the promise they could come by any time for more.

“Ah don’t think ah’ve met your brother,” Applejack said as they drank the sweet, spicy drink.

“Oh, we’re not… we’re dating,” FallenStar said. “And he’s not my brother,” she added quickly.

Applejacks’ eyebrows rose. “Well, ah’m sorry,” she said, “just on account of your coat and manes ah figured…”

“We get that a lot,” RisingStar said. FallenStar felt a pang of loneliness. If only. She’d give anything if their every day was filled with ponies making that same mistake. But since she’d only been able to spend twelve days with him since they’d met, other ponies hadn’t had much of a chance.

Seeking a change of subject, she glanced up at the sun.

“Thank you so much for the cider,” she said, standing, “but we’ve got a lunch date to get to.”

“Thank y’all for fixin’ my grandkids’ mess!” Granny Smith said with a smile. “Don’t be strangers, now!”

As the two left, FallenStar spread her wings, but Rising put a hoof on her left wing.

“Do you really think you’re flying on that?” he asked.

“Why not?” she asked. “I told you I was fine.”

“Uh huh,” he said, tenderly adjusting a few feathers with his hoof. He plucked another loose feather out. His eyes were disapproving, but the touch of his lips on Fallen’s wing was so distracting she stopped paying attention to what he was saying.

“Did you hear me?” he asked.

“What? Yeah!” she said in a hurry.

“So you do agree with me?” he said.

“Wait, I… no? Yes? I’m fine!” she said, her face heating up as RisingStar started to laugh.

“Well, if you’re so sure,” he said, turning slowly away.

“Um, actually, doctor,” she said, extending her wing back towards him. “I think I may need more attention.” RisingStar smiled at her, before nuzzling her wing again.

They arrived at the house of one of FallenStar’s friends. Even from outside they could smell the aroma of garlic, butter, and tomatoes. FallenStar knocked on the door with her hoof.

“Rotelle!” she said.

“Fallen!” a voice yelled from inside the house. After some scuffling, a unicorn wearing a flour-and-tomato stained apron opened the door. “Oh, and I’m such a mess, come in!” FallenStar rubbed her neck against her friend’s in a hug.

“Rising, this is Rotelle, one of my friends,” FallenStar said. “This is RisingStar, my coltfriend.”

“She’s told me so much about you!” Rotelle said, hugging RisingStar as well.

“Good things?” Rising asked nervously.

“She adores you,” Rotelle said. Her horn, which had been lit the entire time, sparkled as she switched her attention. Several pots and pans sat on or near the stove. The pasta sauce, which Rotelle had been stirring, poured itself into another pan, this one full of noodles.

Rotelle, her hair up in a bun, quickly ushered them into the dining room. Two plates of garlic bread floated just behind her, over to the table. The table had been set with expensive-looking platters, lit candles, and a rich tablecloth.

“She’s been telling me for weeks about today – happy anniversary! – and every time she even mentions your name it’s like she slips into her own world…” Rotelle said as she reentered the kitchen.

“Yeah, ok, Rotelle, how’s your husband doing?” FallenStar said loudly. She was starting to wonder if her face could possibly get redder.

“You know him, always fooling around with some machine or – via, si volpe sporco!”

The couple glanced at each other and quickly ran after her.

A devilishly smiling kitsune sat in the kitchen. It let out a barking laugh and jumped from one spice shelf to another, knocking jars to the floor. Rotelle’s magic caught them just before they hit the ground and set them down gently.

“Can’t she just grab it with magic?” RisingStar asked Fallen.

“Kitsune have their own magic,” FallenStar said, “but Rotelle is pretty powerful, so this one would have to be unusually strong...” She looked up and noticed a blue line running across the fox’s muzzle, ending at its right eye. “It’s our friend from earlier,” she said with a sigh. “Didn’t you get the hint?” she yelled at the fox.

It laughed and twitched its tail, sending sparks down at them. The pegasi raised their wings to deflect them, and as they did so the kitsune jumped to the ground and scampered off. Rotelle, still muttering angry things under her breath, snuffed out the embers with her hoof.

“At least we caught the beast before it ruined my kitchen!” she said. “Now thank you but do go sit. I must finish and the spinach is about to become useless!”

FallenStar sat across from Rising, staring into his eyes. He was holding her hoof with his own, and describing something to Rotelle. It was making her laugh, whatever it was, but FallenStar wasn’t really listening. She was looking at the most beautiful pony she’d ever seen, and letting her mind wander.

“But why are you in my house?” she screamed at the strange visitor who looked so much like her.

“I don’t know!” he yelled, dodging a saucepan. “I was just talking to Eris and she opened the mirror, and here I am! I don’t know what she did to my house or how you got here…”

“Your house? You stepped through the mirror into mine!” She searched for another heavy object to throw. “What are you, some kind of secret alicorn? Or do you just like to spy on ponies through mirrors?”

“No, listen! I…” something in his gaze faltered. His wings stopped and he landed on the ground. FallenStar could easily have hit him with the rolling pin she now held, but something in the way he looked at her made her stop.

“I… I was talking to Eris and she… she asked me what was wrong. I told her ‘nothing’ and she… she said that wasn’t true. She could see that I was… Look, I don’t really see my family very often and I’m… not as close to my friends as I used to be. And Eris said she could help me with that. She would show me somepony who could understand me completely.”

FallenStar had landed and gotten closer to this strange pony. He might just be crazy, but then again he had stepped through a mirror. His coat, his mane, even his cutie mark… all so very much like her own. Could it be true?

She raised a hoof, holding it out carefully, as if he might bite it. Instead, he raised his own hoof and pressed it gently against hers. His was slightly larger, but beyond that, they matched perfectly. FallenStar licked her lips.

“What’s your name?”

“Fallen?”

FallenStar jumped suddenly. There was now a plate of food in front of her, and both Rising and Rotelle were looking at her.

“You got lost in his eyes, didn’t you, la mia cavallina?”

“I’m fine, I just…” Fallen sputtered. She immediately took a huge bite of the pasta. “Isth delisshuhs!” she said.

Rotelle burst out laughing and walked back into the kitchen, singing something. FallenStar swallowed the mass of noodles, her face feeling hot again. A gentle hoof rubbed her own, and she looked back up at RisingStar. He didn’t say anything, just bit his lip and leaned across the table. FallenStar felt herself leaning towards him as though pulled by a magnet. She was suddenly aware of how very hot the room was and how good he smelled and how close he now was, so close she could just reach out and…

Blackness took her before their lips touched.

When she came to, she was lying on a couch. Her head and body felt very stuffy. Like someone had stuffed them with cotton. Almost like she was a big stuffed plushie. Ha ha. A big stuffed FallenStar plushie.

Something seemed like it should be wrong. Should she be thinking like that? Hadn’t something been going on?

FallenStar was here. No… she was FallenStar. He was RisingStar. Ha ha. She was a very silly pony.

“I’m a silly pony…” she said. Something hot found its way to her lips a drink. She drank a little. It wasn’t a very fun drink and she wrinkled her muzzle at it.

“Noooooo…” she said. “I don’t want it.” She tried to bat it away but only hit her face instead. Ha ha. What a silly stuffy pony she was. She giggled. Had she been giggling before?

“FallenStar,” RisingStar said. “You have to drink this. It will act as an antagonist for the sedative in your system.”

“Those are some big words,” FallenStar said, and she giggled again. “You’re a pretty pony. I wanna kiss you and kiss and you…” she said, smushing her hoof against his mouth.

“You need to drink this,” RisingStar said, and he pushed the drink to her lips again.

“I don’t waaaaaaaaa…” FallenStar said. As she opened her mouth, he tipped the cup, and she drank. It wasn’t a very fun drink still and she pursed her lips. She was worried he didn’t know it was a pout. He needed to know that wasn’t a very fun drink.

“I’m pouting,” she said.

“When will it start working?” Rotelle said.

“It’s usually fas-”

FallenStar woke up again, this time very much able to think clearly, and worse, remember what had just happened. Rising was immediately at her side.

“Fallen? How do you feel?”

“What happened to me?” she asked. She looked up. The sky was dark outside. Rotelle was standing there, holding a tissue in her magic. Her eyes were red and her cheeks wet.

“It was my own fault!” she yelled. “That volpe stupido put herbs into the pasta and I didn’t even notice until it was too late!”

“The kitsune got his revenge, it seems,” RisingStar said, “and Rotelle, if you had seen what it did to us earlier, you wouldn’t be so embarrassed. He’s particularly crafty. Fallen, the kitsune gave you an excessive dose of… well… you had way too much of some herbs, which acted as a sedative and tranquilizer. Fortunately, Rotelle had the ingredients I needed to make an antagonist. You’re ok, you just needed some time to recover. Some time you still need, I should add.”

“I love when you use your ‘doctor’ voice on me,” FallenStar said impishly. RisingStar sputtered to a halt, his face going an interesting shade of pink before FallenStar dissolved into giggles. She got up and hugged Rotelle. “Don’t worry about it, we’re both ok.”

“I am the biggest idiot this side of the sun,” Rotelle said. “Celestia mia, madre del sole, I’m so glad you’re ok.”

“What time is it?” FallenStar said, her fur suddenly standing on end. “How long was I out? Are you… the mirror…”

“It’s ok, it’s just after sunset. We have hours before… before we have any problems.”

“No, it’s… we have to go now! Oh Celestia this day has gone so badly. Rotelle, I’m so sorry but we have to run!”

The crowd surrounding the stage was huge, but FallenStar had managed to score some VIP tickets for the show tonight. Trixie the Great and Powerful was back in Ponyville, and after her disastrous attempt at a magic show last time, rumor was she’d cooked up a heck of an act. They’d even scored a seat next to Applejack, who was “pleased as a rabbit in a carrot crop” to see them. Under other circumstances, getting to see Princess Twilight (and the other Elements of Harmony) would have been exciting.

But she sat there, next to RisingStar, slumped against him as he stroked her mane.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be,” he answered. “I’ve loved today, except where you hurt yourself.”

“No, it… we missed the other part of the scavenger hunt, which was supposed to take you back to my house where I have a special present for you, but it wouldn’t have mattered because I’m so bad at writing riddles that you’d never have even got there! And then our lunch was ruined and I made Rotelle get do all that work for no good reason-”

She was surprised by a hoof on her muzzle.

“Shh,” RisingStar said, and he passed his hoof along her muzzle. Each hair it touched sent a spark of excitement straight to FallenStar’s brain, so much it was almost like fire. His hoof passed across her muzzle and down her neck as he leaned in. FallenStar closed her eyes in anticipation.

Music and a commanding voice blasted at them. It was so sudden that RisingStar almost fell back in his seat. FallenStar helped him sit back up as blue smoke burst across the crowd.

“The GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE is HERE!”

The crowd erupted into cheers, stomping their hooves. Fallen and RisingStar glanced at each other, and began to stomp alongside the others. Now wasn’t a good time to continue that moment. At least they had this.

And the show did go well. Trixie tried a few stunts, including creating a floating ball of water which exploded into snow over the crowd, and an illusion spell that made everypony in the audience look like another pony. FallenStar had even started to feel good about the day. At least this hadn’t gone straight to Tartarus.

“And now, ponies,” Trixie yelled. “Trixie will show you a creature almost as majestic as herself!” The lights began to dim and Trixie pulled a scroll out of her hat. Soon the only light was from her horn.

“When Trixie was a filly, her mother told her stores of the Aknu, gentle birds of starlight that lived on the moon and visited Equestria at night.” Most ponies had heard this bedtime story. FallenStar remembered having a book about them. The birds were black as night and had stars glimmering in their feathers.

That same image appeared in vivid detail above Trixie as she spoke, showing the gentle, ethereal creatures dancing around her.

“Legend says that the Aknu stopped visiting Equestria after the Lunar Rebellion.” Trixie’s magic changed, showing the shadow of Nightmare Moon pass over the Aknu and banish them. “And so they have not been seen for centuries. But Trixie has found the spell which can bring them back! And so, the GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE shall bring the Aknu back to Equestria tonight!”

The scroll in her magic started to spark and send out blue-white streamers of energy. These formed themselves into a vast circle above the stage. The wind picked up.

“What’s she doing?” a voice next to Applejack whispered. FallenStar couldn’t see the pony’s face, but it sounded like Princess Twilight. “The Aknu were only ever a myth. Every Equestrian scholar knows that…”

The scroll dissolved into glowing tatters which spread themselves along the edge of the circle. The circle turned red and the stage began to groan and shake. A growing sense of dread filled FallenStar’s stomach. Princess Twilight shot into the air, her horn glowing bright enough to illuminate the crowd.

“Trixie, stop! I don’t know what you’re bringing but it isn’t the Aknu!”

“You will not stop the Great and Power-”

The air inside the circle exploded. FallenStar saw a brief glimpse of glowing red and orange on the other side, but the wind coming out kicked up too much dust. Princess Twilight cast a spell, striking at the portal but apparently doing little. Trixie stood, now screaming at the Princess.

“No, Sparkle! You will not… what is that? What is that?”

“That” was a red-and-orange bird’s talon, which had come out of the portal and now rested upon the stage. A red-and-orange talon which was larger than a pony, and so hot it immediately set the stage on fire.

“It’s… it’s the Anzu!” Twilight shouted. “You opened a portal to the elemental plane of fire! I need all the unicorns to help me close the portal! Everypony else, back up now!”

Nopony needed the encouragement to leave. Most were already running away from the blazing stage, including Trixie, who was running away crying, her tail smoldering. Magic, some strong and some weak, shot out of the unicorn’s horns, hammering away against the portal. None was as strong as Twilight’s, but it didn’t seem to matter. The portal was steadily rising now, revealing charcoal-black feathers and glowing red skin.

“It’s not working!” Twilight yelled. “Everypony, listen to me! We have to stop this thing with water or ice!” After a moment’s hesitation, she added, “does anypony have any ideas?”

The tip of a cruel, curved beak was now visible as the portal rose. The ambient heat was enough to drive ponies backwards with pain, and so both she and RisingStar flew back a distance from it.

“The water tower! We can knock that onto it!” a blue pegasus called out.

“I need all the unicorns to focus their magic on the Anzu!” Twilight yelled. “If it gets out of control it could destroy all of Ponyville! Earth ponies, follow Applejack’s lead. Pegasi, follow Rainbow Dash!” she said, pointing at each individual as she named them. “Hurry!”

Fallen and RisingStar rose into the air with the other pegasi. Some were screaming, others were crying.

“Ok, everypony be cool!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “We get to do something awesome and save Ponyville! We need to ram the top of the tower while the earth ponies slam the bottom. Come on, use those wings! Let’s get some speed!”

The portal rose more. The Anzu was now completely exposed, though hunched. The portal was rapidly shrinking. Streams of multicolored magic ran over the creature, waving in the heat.

On the ground, earth ponies ran in a wide circle, aiming for the base of the tower. A glowing purple shield was forming where they would hit, and an equivalent one formed where the pegasi would to hit.

“Twilight’s got some egghead plan, but I’ll give it to you straight,” Rainbow Dash yelled as they flow. “That magic means we won’t get hurt when we hit it, so give it everything you got!” She whooped as they swooped in. Every pegasus’ wings beat ferociously, tearing at the air. They didn’t so much impact the water tower as they did softly stop in the magic, but the impact to the tower was real all the same. The sound of groaning and tearing metal filled the air, but it wasn’t enough.

“Come on, come on, round two!” Rainbow Dash yelled, gesturing with her forelegs for everypony to start moving.

The Anzu’s eyes opened, and suddenly Ponyville was lit like it was day. The heat and light was incredible, and FallenStar cried out in shock as it washed over her. Purple light gathered over the eyes, blocking them as much as Twilight could. The alicorn tucked in her wings and fell to her hooves, her eyes white with magical power.

“Hurry!” she screamed in a choked voice. “I can’t keep doing this!”

The pegasi slammed into the magical field again while the earth ponies did their best to break the base. The tower screamed and tilted, but did not collapse.

“We gotta do it a third time!” Rainbow Dash yelled. FallenStar’s wings were getting tired now. She looked at RisingStar and swallowed.

The Anzu opened its beak, pointing straight up at the sky. Lightning cracked out and thunder split the air around them.

It screeched, and the voice of the Anzu was like fire had filled every part of FallenStar’s body. She couldn’t see any fire, but it was as though she could feel the flame burn her into ash. But the Anzu’s voice didn’t hurt. It gave the feeling of transformation into fire and ash – into something greater than mere pony flesh. It offered the glory of fire, and all anypony had to d-

FallenStar shook her head. The illusion was fading from her mind and body.

“Ok, so the bird’s got a magic voice!” Rainbow Dash was yelling. “That doesn’t matter! What does matter is it’s going to set Ponyville on fire, and we’re not gonna let it! Now come on!” She flew into the air, seemingly unfazed by the previous two dives.

FallenStar’s wings ached as she beat them, each stroke a little weaker than the previous. She was flagging. RisingStar’s eyes were almost closed in concentration.

“We… have to… do this…” he gasped. She nodded, not trusting her voice. One more hit, they had to give it one more hit…

They swooped down just as the Anzu opened its wings. It was like it had opened a door to the sun. White-hot fire blasted out. Were it not for the alicorn holding it back, the inferno would have consumed everypony on the ground. Twilight’s scream was so loud, FallenStar could hear it as she dove for the tower. The purple shield in front of them wavered and flickered.

Several things happened very quickly. The earth ponies and pegasi slammed into their shields, transferring a huge amount of energy into the tower. The steel holding up the water bent and buckled, sending its contents spilling down. A split second later, the Anzu let loose another bolt of lightning, this one straight into the unicorns' shield. It shattered.

And so it was that a white hot inferno, the elements of fire and lightning given terrifying form and life, blasted out like a bomb, ready to rip the life out of everything in the city. But before the flames could travel more than a foot, a million gallons of freezing water fell like a meteor, reducing the proud titan to little more than soggy ash.

Singed, soaked, and sore, Fallen and RisingStar made their way home. Paramedics had come and insisted on at least checking everypony there, but it looked like the worst of the injuries were some minor burns, some missing hair, and one unicorn’s very bruised ego.

“Today was terrible,” FallenStar grumbled. “I’m sorry. It was supposed to be perfect and then…”

“It wasn’t terrible,” RisingStar said as they walked into Fallen’s house.

“You’re just saying that,” FallenStar said. “I wanted-”

RisingStar turned Fallen around and looked into her eyes.

“I got to spend the day with you, and that’s the best present you could ever give me,” he said, smiling roguishly.

FallenStar looked over at the package on her dresser. “I meant to give you this when you finished the scavenger hunt.” RisingStar walked over, picked it up, and opened it. Inside was a large, bound book. He flipped it open.

“Each clue had to do with, you know, us and the last year we’ve had together.”

Inside the book was page after page of letters, half written by FallenStar, half by RisingStar.

“FallenStar,” he whispered, “this is every letter we’ve ever sent,”

She nodded.

“But… my letters disappear after a while in your world,” he said. He looked up at her, his eyes starting to well with tears. “So you would have had to copy…”

“Every letter,” she said. “Every time.”

“So when I tried to come up with jokes to make you laugh, and they were,” he started to laugh,” the worst things put to paper by anypony,”

“I smiled the whole time I copied that one,” FallenStar said, her eyes now as wet as his.

“Fallen, I…”

“But it doesn’t matter, because it’s made in my world and so you can’t take it to yours anyway,” FallenStar said in a suddenly strained voice. “So it’s just a big dumb book made by a big dumb-”

In a moment, he was there. Strong, tight muscles, holding her against him. Those powerful, beautiful wings spread out to either side of them. Those eyes were burning embers in a perfectly crafted face. Hot breath flowed over her muzzle.

Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would explode.

When their lips met, it was rapture and bliss. Every stress and tension melted out of her body. She returned the kiss, placing her hoof on his chest. They breathed as one, chests so close she could feel his powerful heartbeat racing. His wings wrapped her in a feathery blanket, and in that moment, there was nowhere in the universe that could be safer.

One, maybe two eternities later, they separated. Both ponies had tears on their cheeks. RisingStar reached up and gently wiped them from her face.

“I don’t deserve you,” he said.

“Oh, shut up,” she said, and she kissed him again, this time a peck. She smiled, then drew close to his ear, touching her lips to it.

“You know, we still have a few hours before the mirror closes,” she said. “Is there something you wanted to do?”

“Nap,” he answered without hesitation.

It was the most romantic thing she’d ever heard.