A Mirror Universeby PioneeringAuthorChaptersChapter 1: In Which Cadence Becomes a PrincessChapter 2: In Which Cadence meets Shining ArmorChapter 3: In Which Cadence Decides to Ship CelestiaChapter 4: Of Alternate TwilightsChapter 1: In Which Cadence Becomes a PrincessCanterlot. The City on the Mountain; unlike the still impressive Witeaneigh, this city was young and built specifically to be the capital of a global hegemon. On the highest point of the Platform-City stood the Palace of the Sun and Moon: A massive work of architecture, with a dintel, supported by columns taller than fifty ponies which gave way to a great waiting room and a pair of massive alabaster doors. Behind these doors, the Throne Room, with twin thrones, stood. In the throne to the right, a white alicorn with a multicolored mane and tail sat regally, her sister, of a dark shade of blue and a sparkling blue mane and tail sat, both looking at the pony in the room: a young guard from a town not far from the northern border… “Your Majesties,” He said, “I have come to confirm what the rumours in Vanhoover say… the young filly ascended.” The guard, a unicorn, said the last word with disbelief, not because the filly in question did not do so, but because he did not see this as an “ascension”. The Eldest of the sovereigns nodded and looked at her younger sister who nodded as well. “I assume you brought her to us,” She stated, her lavender eyes looking upon him in what can only be described as an unreadable manner. The guard nodded and motioned for her to be sent in. A pink filly came into the throne room, her purple eyes looking to the floor, looking as if she had done something wrong. The white Alicorn smiled warmly at her and slowly stepped out of her throne, her mane flowing around her with every step; carefully the mare moved and while she was not eye-to-eye with the filly, she was as close to that as she could be. The younger royal Alicorn sighed and looked at them. Somewhat scared, the filly looked up to see a warm, almost motherly smile; The white alicorn gazed at her. “What is your name?” She asked; The filly looked away and then at her. “C-Cadenza,” she answered with a stutter, for it was impossible to not be nervous when faced with both empresses. “I,” soothed the white alicorn, “am Celestia, and she,” she motioned towards the darker alicorn, “is my sister Luna.” said alicorn sighed and looked at them. However the moment was cut short when a mare went in-- a light grey crystal mare with purple eyes and mane “Oh goodness there you are,” She panted. Little Cadenza flinched, almost hiding behind Celestia. Surprised, the empress stood up, letting the little one remain behind her. The mare then noticed Celestia and Luna and bowed. “And who,” Said Luna, “Might you be?” Her voice, as usual in such situations, was colder, more demanding than her sister’s motherly voice; The crystal mare seemed to be slightly scared, but soon composed herself. “My name is Abacus Cinch, and I run the central orphanage of Vanhoover… We have been looking for her for some days already!” She explained. Celestia and Luna exchanged confused and skeptical looks as Cadenza remained hidden behind Celestia; Luna came down and gave the little filly a warmer look before she clung onto the darker alicorn. “P-Please, don’t let her take me,” She whispered. Luna nodded at that and eyed Celestia, who nodded and turned to Cinch. “As you can see, she is well… How old is she?” Startled and confused by the question, Cinch nodded and answered, “She is Twelve years old, Your Majesty.” Celestia nodded, barely believing it. When she saw the little filly, she looked nine or ten at most: not only did she seem underdeveloped, but it also seemed that she was not having enough to eat… and from what Celestia saw, it wasn’t just because of lack of funding. With a soft sigh, Celestia turned back to Cinch; it took her a few seconds to decide. “Miss Cinch, Little Cadenza will not be needing your care anymore; I have decided to adopt her… Furthermore, I believe that since we were about to begin checking the state of the orphanages across the Empire, we could start with yours,” Celestia announced. Cinch froze for a few seconds, then nodded a bit nervously. Celestia gave her a soft smile as always, and then Cinch excused herself as Luna carried the filly away…. Now Celestia’s attention was turned to the guard. “Night Light is it?” She said; The guard tensed up and saluted. “Yes Your Majesty, that is my name.” Celestia nodded and sat back in her throne, thinking… “Do you have children?” The guard nodded. “Yes your majesty, a young son around twelve” Celestia smiled at that. “Good, could you bring him tomorrow? Little Cadenza needs a friend of her age,” she told him, and despite sounding like a friendly question, they both knew it was an order. Night Light saluted and saw her leaving before sighing… tomorrow was definitely going to be a long day. Author's Note Dear Reader, This is Pioneering Author. I am the co-author of this story. My friend Imperator Aetheris and I have been steadily working on a massive project-- an MLP universe involving more than just the Mane Six and Equestria-- we are expanding the whole world, coming up with complex histories and cultures of many animal nations. We are calling this universe Karamverse, after one of the main (most important) characters, who you will meet in the next chapter. This simple story is the basic introduction to our massive project, although it is technically an AU so it's not exactly Karamverse. Nevertheless, it should give you a taste of what we are doing. I did my best at editing, but I probably missed something, so feel free to kindly give me advice on what to fix. Also, the idea of including links to music came from the Kingdom Hearts-MLP crossover, "Kingdom Hearts of Harmony" by Steel Soul, which you can find on this website. Seriously, check it out. -- The pioneer with a heart for people and a thousand stories to tell ~+~ Chapter 2: In Which Cadence meets Shining Armor[Open green link in new tab to play music, and at the red words stop that music.] Canterlot As the sun rose upon the city on the platform, in one of the bedrooms a young filly woke up slowly and got off her bed…. Only then she realized where she was. Happily she walked out of her room and was instantly met by a guard. The guard noticed her and sighed, “I am to lead you to the dining hall.” Cadenza followed obediently. Once they arrived, she noticed Luna and Celestia, both smiling softly as they sat at a small table with three seats. “Oh, You’re here now!” lilted Celestia with a smile. Luna motioned for her to get the empty seat and, as soon as Cadenza had done so, two servants began bringing in food. Cadenza was surprised as she witnessed the amount of many different kinds of food entering the room. “We hope it is to your liking,” Luna told her, “We did not know which foods you like more, so we decided to get a bit of everything.” The filly smiled happily and ate, a bit embarrassed as the two older princesses ate. “Well, how are you liking your new home?” Asked Celestia, smiling warmly as she looked up at her “I-It’s really nice” She answered with a smile. Suddenly, the same guard from the previous day came in, and next to him there was a young colt around the same age as the youngest alicorn-- he had white fur and a blue mane and tail. As soon as Celestia floated two other seats to the table, he smiled shyly at them and took a seat. “I am so glad you joined up today, Night Light,” As the mentioned stallion blushed slightly she continued, “And who might be this fine colt?” The colt in question blushed a bit and smiled, introducing himself with, “I’m Shining Armor,” He looked at them, “And I will be the best guard ever!” He smiled, then blushed and looked away as Cadenza giggled softly. The two older royals smiled softly as they all ate. Once they had eaten breakfast, Celestia and Luna went off to their duties, but not before arranging something… soon enough, a young maid was tasked with giving Cadenza and Shining a tour of the castle. “So… you are Shining Armor?” Cadenza asked as the tour began. “Yes… and you are?” Shining asked nervously, unsure if he should call her something royal or not, considering how close in age she was to himself. “I am Cadenza,” the filly answered with a happy smile. “Caden...Cadence?” Shining stammered, unsure of what sort of name that was. Cadenza chortled. “It’s CadENZa, but you can call me ‘Cadence.’” “Okay, Cadence!” It seemed that the two were off to a great start, and for the first time in a while, Cadenza was able to fully relax--something about having a friendly nickname comforted her. “Wow! This place is so big!” Shining noted as Cadenza looked in awe, barely believing this was to be her home now. “This is the library,” the mare stated as she led them into a magnificent room filled with all sorts of books that left Cadenza and Shining staring with open mouths, unable to speak. Cadenza had no idea so many books could be in one place. Of course, that was merely the beginning. “This is the grand ballroom, where the Grand Galloping Gala is held every year for a few esteemed guests,” The maid informed them in a hushed voice, for she herself admired this room deeply, and she was all too pleased to see the looks of amazement on the colt and filly’s faces. “So… THIS is where the Gala is… EVERY year?” Cadenza asked in a whisper. “Yes it is, Your Highness,” the maid replied with a grin. “The floors are so shiny,” Shining remarked as he gazed at his reflection in the marble floors. “Indeed, we try to keep it as clean as possible, right up until the moment the Gala starts,” The maid agreed, with a proud smile, which was perhaps in part due to the fact that she herself had supervised the preparations for the last year. “How many ponies come to the gala?” Cadenza questioned as she pondered how much dirt must get on the floors every year. “Oh, many ponies! It varies between years, but it’s often in the hundreds! Not too many past three hundred I would say, though,” The maid speculated as she waved a hoof casually. “Wow, that is a lot of ponies!” Shining remarked. “And a lot of dirt,” Cadenza added as she noted the fancy rug in the middle of the floor. At those words the maid laughed and agreed with, “Indeed, a LOT of dirt.” The maid showed the two young ponies around the castle premises for more than an hour, since there were so many rooms. However the maid had to eventually take on other duties, so she got a second maid, with more experience with foals, and who was conveniently free at the moment, to take over. Said maid did so gladly. “How about we visit the gardens next?” The maid suggested with a bright smile. “Oh, I would love that!” “Sure!” Within a few minutes, they were strolling through the magnificent gardens. “Now, these gardens are very well taken care of, as you can tell, and there are all sorts of plants and animals that dwell here,” the maid explained, “We have lots of birds, butterflies, squirrels, some monkeys, lizards, many exotic flowers and trees--you name it, there’s a good chance we have it if it’s in season!” At this point the maid laughed, which made the younger ponies giggle along with her. Indeed, the maid was correct, and it seemed as if every flower Cadenza eyed was more beautiful than the last, and the birds sang so beautifully that she wished to sit in there forever. She was taken out of her thoughts when she felt something being carefully placed on her head. It was a flower! but who… then she noticed the colt, smiling at her with a slight blush. After looking at each other for a few seconds the filly giggled and the colt laughed along. The sun shone brightly on the two, but an even brighter warmth was shining in Cadenza’s heart as she realized that this was the start of a new, much happier life. Meanwhile, from a window, the two empresses looked at the scene, Celestia smiling softly and happily as Luna watched, also happy despite not letting it show. In the end they both thought the same thing: It was, after all, good to have taken her into their care. Chapter 3: In Which Cadence Decides to Ship CelestiaCanterlot A few months had passed, and Cadence was strolling down the road to one of the main parks of the city, still somewhat uncomfortable wearing the garments of a princess. With a soft sigh, she made her way through the crowd of ponies, a few respectfully keeping out of her way, others not even noticing her. Amongst the sea of ponies, Cadence noticed one in particular-- she had never seen him but he looked like somepony…. She walked up to him until they were fairly close “Hi!” She said cheerfully The tall stallion turned to face her. He was a dun-colored alicorn with a black mane and tail, blue eyes, and a large scar that looked similar to a spider web on his left cheek. He was slightly taller than Celestia, and was wearing regal blue Saddle-Arabian tack. Indeed, it wasn't just his tack that looked regal--everything about him looked important... and muscular... and handsome. “Good day,” He said with a warm smile, “You must be the new princess--Cadenza, correct?” Suddenly a nearby dark green colored unicorn horse trotted over to him to observe what was happening. He had a white mane and tail, silvery eyes, was also wearing some Saddle-Arabian tack, and he was approximately the same height as Luna. Since he was a horse, not a pony, he lacked a cutie mark while the dun colored alicorn pony had a cutie mark that looked like a sandy tornado. Cadence smiled widely, an idea forming in her head, remembering that Celestia was in that day of the year where countless nobles would try to woo her… yes, it just had to be! “Yes!” She said, then looked at him without noticing the unicorn “And you are?” Before the alicorn could answer, the unicorn beside him answered for him, saying, “He is none other than Prince Karam Al-Asif ibn-Khayri-Al-Nasim ibn Malik Al-Aziz Ahl-Rikhab, commonly known as ‘The Sandstorm Prince,’ second son of Malik Khayri Al-Nasim of Saddle-Arabia, ruler of the desert sands and the flowing rivers and all lands within the domain of Saddle-Arabia.” Startled by the unicorn’s speech, Cadence stepped back a bit, unsure of what to say. After the unicorn stopped speaking, Karam gave him a cold, bored look as he stamped one of his grey hooves on the ground firmly. “I told you to stop doing that, Ziad,” Karam sighed. “Oh… I’m sorry… old habits die hard, Your Highness,” Ziad answered with a low bow. Turning back to Cadence, Karam smiled again and apologized, “You must forgive my advisor-- my father sent me here to relax, and he sent my advisor and some bodyguards to ensure that I would be taken care of… but sometimes my advisor goes a bit too far in introducing me.” Cadence giggled softly at that and nodded. “All right, I guess-- I get it… I mean, whenever I walked out of the palace with a guard, the same would happen to me,” She sighed before looking at him, “Relax? I know just the place for that!” She smiled happily. Yes now she knew what she wanted to do and how to do so… Karam and Ziad looked at each other curiously. “What exactly do you plan on doing?” Karam enquired. “Have you ever been to the gardens of the Palace of the Sun and Moon?” She asked, looking at them with a happy smile on her face, almost pleading for them to go. “Unfortunately, no,” Karam admitted with a longing look in his eye, “When I was sent here, my father told me to avoid doing anything political, to help me relax, for I was worrying too much at home, hence we have had minor contact with the Empresses, and although they know we are here, we have no plans on meeting with them, or touring their castle. Perhaps next time… why do you ask?” “Well, those gardens are the BEST place to relax in all of Canterlot, and I’m sure you’d love it there… I will make sure you won’t find any political trouble there,” She looked at them with her huge purple eyes, “´pleeease!” Karam gazed at the sky, pondering how to answer. “Sire, we really shouldn’t be bothering the empresses,” Ziad warned, the silver rings on his harness jingling as he implored him, “We really should not go---please, let’s just go to the countryside instead.” However, Ziad knew that when Karam’s eyes had that look in them, there was no turning back. “I would love to see your gardens, Princess Cadenza,” Karam accepted as he beamed back at Cadence gently while a breeze blew the tassels on his harness softly. Ziad sighed and shook his head, hoping this would not end in disaster. Cadence smiled happily, beaming at that. “Right! I’ll meet you at the main entrance of the palace at… say… four?” She looked at him, hoping this would work. “Of course-- should I dress up in something more regal?” Karam asked. “If you want,” She shrugged at that, hoping he wouldn’t mind meeting a certain pony in a less… regal environment “Sire, considering you are supposed to relax… how about something more casual?” Ziad suggested. “I suppose you are correct--besides, my regal outfits are very heavy and hot in this time of year,” Karam decided, “All right, I shall meet you at four this afternoon, Princess Cadenza.” Cadence smiled happily and nodded “Ok! I’ll meet you then there.” She then went back to the palace; there was something else she needed to do. Soon she happily headed back to the palace, all she needed now was to get Celestia out of that horrible group of nobles… As soon as Celestia had a moment to herself, Cadence got to her and hugged her, With a happy, if somewhat confused, smile Celestia hugged her back. “Aunt Celestia… will you be free at four?” She asked, her big violet eyes looking into Celestia’s. The older alicorn smiled at that before Cadence continued, “I have a big surprise for you, but you need to be on the gardens at four.” Amused, Celestia answered with a warm smile, “I think I should be free by then.” Hopping happily around her, Cadence exclaimed, “Yay! I’ll see you then!” Later, Celestia entered the gardens, wondering what surprise Cadence had planned for her today. Only a few minutes later, Cadence walked into the gardens, followed by a yellow-orange stallion who had dark brown and black legs and was wearing black Saddle-Arabian tack. Neither of the two adults knew what was going to happen… Celestia stared at the pair with a puzzled, yet warm look on her face. The stallion looked familiar… oh yes, it was one of the princes of Saddle-Arabia. Karam, meanwhile, was holding his head high when he first entered, but when he saw that Empress Celestia was in the gardens, he halted, worried about what she would think of him being there. Suddenly he wished that he listened to his advisor and went somewhere else that day. Cadence giggled at that and led him in. “Come on, it will be fine,” She whispered happily. Cautiously Karam approached with Cadence while Celestia smiled at them both sweetly. Karam realized as he got closer to the empress that Celestia was actually a very faint shade of pink, and not a true white. He also admired her flowing, sparkling mane and tail, and couldn’t help but feel relaxed under her warm and comforting gaze. Perhaps this was not such a bad idea after all. For a moment he wished he let his advisor come with him--seeing the empress in such a relaxing place was surely a once in a lifetime opportunity. Amazingly she wasn’t even in her full regalia-- just a few necklaces and her crown adorned her; indeed she was casual, and Karam may never see her like this again. “Well… it is a pleasant surprise to see you here,” Celestia told him with a very slight blush and a warm smile, “I Imagine that, since my niece brought you here she has something planned… right?” She looked at Cadence, waiting to see what else had she planned. “Um… Follow me!” She exclaimed before heading over to a small place under the shadow of two cherry trees, where there was a large cloth with different foods… almost like a picnic. Karam smiled at Celestia awkwardly, and then looked at Cadence and thanked her with, “I must say, this is quite well done--thank you, Your Highness.” “Yes, thank you, Cadence--how very thoughtful of you,” Celestia added with a gentle smile. “Well,” Cadence started, “I just thought you needed a friend.” of course, she was not about to tell her that she was hoping they would go beyond that… Celestia nodded and laid on one side of the blanket, signaling to Karam to sit on the other side. “Let me see… Karam Al-Asif, correct?” Celestia recalled as Karam laid down on the other end across from her. “Yes, Your Majesty, that is correct,” Karam acknowledged with a nod as he stretched his dark brown legs for a bit. Karam then turned to Cadence and asked, “Are you going to sit down as well?” Cadence nodded and sat next to them, smiling happily about how this was going. Celestia used her magic to lift the teapot and pour herself a cup, then turned to Karam and asked, “Would you like some tea?” “Yes, Your Majesty,” Karam accepted with another respectful nod. “Since we are in a casual environment, I would like you to call me by my name--Celestia,” Celestia allowed with another smile while she poured some tea for Karam. At those words, Karam also smiled and grabbed the cup in his own pale yellow magic. “As you wish, Celestia-- and I would also like you to call me by my name, Karam.” He decided that if the empress was going to be casual, he may as well be casual too. Cadence, in the meantime, smiled as she served herself some tea, looking at them happily at noticing that they were on a first-name basis. “So, Karam, what is it like in your homeland; I have never ventured there myself,” Celestia asked before taking a sip of tea. “Well, it is probably as diverse as this land… but smaller--we have rivers, deserts, forests… and at night it can get very, very cold, and in the morning it is usually quite hot,” Karam began, trying to determine how to talk about his vast homeland properly, “Furthermore, we don’t get very much snow, and we do not have pegasi controlling the weather as you do here.” “I have heard that, but sometimes I wonder if what I read is true,” Celestia confided between sips, “I must say, it is nice to hear it from somepony who actually has been there.” “Indeed, I found it hard to believe that pegasi controlled the weather here myself,” Karam admitted while reaching for an apple with his magic, “And indeed, there is nothing like seeing it happen before my eyes.” After taking a bite of the apple and swallowing, he added, “You really should visit Saddle-Arabia for yourself; I think you would enjoy the diversity of the land and its citizens.” “I hope to see it one day… but sadly my duties as an empress are never finished,” Celestia sighed, “Please, tell me about your citizens.” “Well, we have many ponies, like you do here,” Karam began nostalgically, “But we also have other equines-- donkeys, mules, and horses are most everywhere, and we also have camels, oxen, and in the far regions we have Karkadann as well.” “I see. Tell me, how do you manage to live together in peace?” Celestia inquired before eating some grapes. “As long as they obey the laws, we let them be, and I truly am not sure how they all manage to live together, but they do. I suppose part of it is due to our sense of honor and duty, and another part is due to how strongly we value our families… and the rest… who knows. I will say, however, that I know that many times they do have squabbles or disagreements based on their species, but those are often resolved fairly quickly,” Karam explained. “Ah, so not everything is perfect,” Celestia noted before taking a small piece of cake for herself. “No, nothing is perfect, but we do our best to uphold our honor and values, and it appears to be working so far,” Karam admitted as he finished eating his apple. Turning to Cadence, Celestia questioned, “And what do you think of this?” Cadence looked at them, unsure about what to say, then nodded “w-well, I think it’s great!” She looked at them with a slightly nervous smile. Celestia grinned at her and then turned back to Karam. For over an hour they talked about various subjects, and enjoyed themselves immensely. Unfortunately, a messenger arrived with some sort of problem that Celestia had to sort out, and the picnic came to an end. As Celestia walked off to take care of it, Cadence smiled happily at Karam, wanting to know what was on his mind. Karam stretched his wings as he stood up, and then turned to Cadence, asking, “Well, Young Princess, is there anything else you wish me to do?” “Well, what do you think? O-Of this I mean,” she said, pointing towards the picnic, “would you do this again?” She asked hopefully. “If I am ever back in Equestria, I will make certain to try and arrange another such meeting,” Karam decided as he grinned at Cadence gently. Cadence smiled at that, looking at him. “Okay! But please, can you write to us?” She asked again with her big purple eyes looking at him cutely, almost begging “Would your Empress permit me to write? I am not sure if it would be proper for a prince to write to one of such high authority. Besides, I do have duties at home, so I am not sure how often I would be able to write,” Karam pointed out with a shrug. “I know, but she will allow it,” She looked at him, “And I’m sure it will be fine.” At this point, Karam raised an eyebrow suspiciously. This filly was certainly determined to have him writing to her empress for some reason. Turning to face Cadence fully, Karam looked down at her and inquired, “Tell me, Young Princess… what is your ‘special talent’ again? I recall hearing of it, but can’t quite remember at the moment.” She giggled a bit “I won’t tell.” Again Karam raised an eyebrow at her and stared at her sternly, his blue eyes searching all over her for some sign of what she was strategizing. At length, he eyed her cutie mark again, and noted that it was a crystal gem in a heart shape… a heart shape… heart… love… oh no, this filly wasn’t a matchmaker in her young age, was she? Surely she wouldn’t honestly set up her Empress/aunt with a random prince would she? Studying the filly’s secretive smile, Karam knew she probably would. “Young Princess, I am about as old as your Empress-- and in my age I’ve learned a lot about how other ponies think. I have a feeling I know what you are thinking, and I have a feeling your empress would not be interested… especially since I don’t even have a throne,” Karam whispered in an amused, yet firm tone of voice, “I will say, however, that you are one wily young mare, and your enemies should be careful around you.” She giggled at that. “I just thought my aunt wouldn’t like any of those old nobles,” She looked at him, “And how do you know she won’t be?” “AHA!” Karam exclaimed as he stamped his foot, “You sneaky little filly! I KNEW you were trying to make a match!” At this point he shook his head and laughed, and then looked at her again and sighed, “And in the world of rulers, politics comes first, not infatuation or good ideas. For the sake of politics, your empress should marry somepony with a great position of power… I am just the second-born son; I don’t have much power… and such important matches aren’t just arranged by young princesses, but thought out by ponies who rule great areas; if anypony is going to arrange a match between myself and your aunt, it would be my father… or your aunt herself…” After looking around to ensure nopony was watching, Karam whispered, “However, I must admit that your aunt is quite a beautiful mare. Don’t tell anypony I said that though,” After that he straightened up and announced in a louder voice, “Now, I must return to my hotel before my advisor dies of worry. Good evening, and thank you again for the enjoyable picnic.” “Well…” She looked at him, “As much as you say that you’re not powerful enough, and leaving simple romance behind… being the second son of your father means that, should you be married away from your court there would not be so much problem… besides, nopony unites two kingdoms just because of a royal marriage anymore… and I wouldn’t be surprised if this happened some day,” She smiled at him sweetly, “But please, write anyways, it was fun meeting you. ” “I must say, you are more clever than most fillies your age,” Karam complemented her with a chuckle, “and if you keep making up such elaborate plans they shall have to name you ‘Cadenza the Wily Matchmaker.’ As for what I shall do… I would like to write to your Empress Celestia… and also to you… if I have some spare time.” Cadence smiled at that, containing a giggle at that comment before nodding “Okay! It was nice to meet you,” She told him. Karam nodded with a grin. “Indeed, it was most fascinating getting to meet you both,” He confessed as he turned to walk away. As he left, he thought about his conversation with the Empress of the Sun. The sun slowly began to set, and as she saw him walk away, Cadence sighed softly and smiled to herself, quite sure that it would come to pass… Chapter 4: Of Alternate TwilightsPonyville, Equestria. Princess Twilight Sparkle looked at the mirror that Celestia had sent. Just like the mirror that led her to meet Sunset Shimmer, this was one of Starswirl the Bearded’s experiments… However, Princess Celestia had not told her where would this one lead; it was almost as if she had never bothered to try and know what was on the other side… Excitedly she began to power it up, waiting… Then the inside of the mirror turned to a purple tone, and somehow, she found herself being sucked in… “B-But… it’s not supposed to do that!” She managed to exclaim before disappearing into the mirror. Canterlot, The Other Equestria. A few years had passed, and Princess Cadence of the Alicorn Empire was walking towards the Canterlot Library with Twilight Sparkle, her coltfriend’s sister who she was foalsitting for now. For a moment she looked over to the park and noticed, amongst many alicorns and other ponies that walked around, a different alicorn. She was Purple, in different shades on her mane and too similar to Twilight… Deciding that she was just a bit tired, she continued onwards to the library. Meanwhile, a very confused Princess Twilight looked over at the city which, besides the large amount of alicorns, seemed just like Canterlot. Managing to blend in, she walked around from the park and towards the library; After her previous encounters with alternate universes and time loops, she was not too eager to attract attention by asking a random pony about where she was… Eventually she made her way to the library; not paying that much attention to who was inside, she got a book on history and sighed, hoping it could enlighten her, but knowing it would take a long time. It was then that a filly bumped into her. Surprised, she turned to help her up and then froze in place. This was simply impossible… Right? The little filly also looked at her, trying to understand what she was seeing, after all, it’s not every day you see yourself, grown up and with wings. To add to the surreal scene, right after the filly, Princess Twilight noticed a pink teenaged alicorn walking up to them. “T-Twilight?” It was Cadence who broke the awkward silence, and both turned their heads to her as the pink alicorn tried to recover from this. Not knowing what to say, Cadence sat there. Twilight walked over to her and was soon hiding behind her, while Princess Twilight stared at them in a mild shock. “What is going on?” Asked Cadence, looking at the older Twilight who just sat there. For a few seconds she went through all the possible things that could have gone wrong when opening the portal before finally confessing, “I… I don’t know.” Softly, Cadence walked up to her, sitting closer before examining this other Twilight, who seemed as old as herself, and was an alicorn. Silently she watched before little Twilight looked at them. “Are you from another universe?” She asked quietly. Princess Twilight nodded at that. “Did it have something to do with Starswirl the Bearded? ” the filly asked, clearly interested now. Princess Twilight smiled at that, nodding, “Yeah! I was examining a mirror he made and I ended up here,” She admitted, slightly embarrassed. At that, Cadence giggled a bit. This mare was definitely Twilight! As they began talking, Cadence watched; admittedly, she had never liked her magic classes, and soon was lost in their conversation. “And that is how I arrived here,” finished Princess Twilight as the little one smiled, then thought of something… “Wait… If Celestia is a Princess where you’re from… then who is the Empress?” She looked at the older Twilight with a curious gaze. Twilight seemed surprised by the question and looked at them “Empress? ” she asked, surprised. “Yes!” The filly responded, “Who is the empress of the Alicorn Empire?” “We don’t have an alicorn empire anymore,” Princess Twilight explained, “It fell thousands of years ago… wait… this IS that empire… in another universe,” as the realization came to her, she became increasingly excited, “So… even though we are in different universes, it’s still pretty much the same… so… I could stay here for a while and research! Oh, there are so many questions! So many mysteries! I can’t wait to find it all out for myself!” Little Twilight squealed at that and looked at Cadence. “Can I help her? Pleeeease?” she looked at the pink alicorn with her recently-mastered technique of puppy eyes. Cadence giggled slightly and looked at them before nodding. “All right, but we will have to talk to Aunt Celestia and Aunt Luna,” she reminded her. Little Twilight did a small happy dance before looking at them… and once again Princess Twilight halted abruptly. “Wait… Luna? Oh, nevermind,” She guessed it was logical to think that if the Empire existed, then Nightmare Moon never occurred. Suddenly, another realization struck her: they were not just princesses, they were of the Old Alicorn Imperial Family! After taking a long breath and sighing she nodded. Several days passed; Princess Twilight was quietly settled in the Palace of Sun and Moon and actually studying under Luna about the history of this world while teaching her about her own. Although Twilight wouldn’t admit it, this arrangement made her happy. Getting to know a Luna who never had the guilt of Nightmare Moon was indeed a privilege. However it had to end eventually, and as the Alicorns got the portal working, Princess Twilight walked over and embraced Celestia. Soon enough Cadence and Luna had joined in the hug. “I look forward to meeting you again Twilight Sparkle, and maybe my counterpart as well,” Luna confided with a warm smile, breaking the silence. Soon they bid farewell, and Twilight slowly made her way into the portal, back to her world. She would have a great tale to tell her friends about this universe beyond the mirror. Author's Note Dear Reader, this is Pioneering Author again. Well, how did you like that? In Karamverse, in the ancient days there was a whole empire filled with alicorns, and that is where Celestia and Luna come from, but eventually the empire fell, leading to the war with Discord and Celestia and Luna ruling as princesses, not empresses. In this AU, however, the empire never fell, and as you can imagine, there were many alicorns besides the empresses in this empire, although their numbers were dwindling. Anyway, just to let you all know, everything in here is a test, and you are the test subjects-- meaning that if anything isn't working right, we need to know about it NOW, in THIS story, before we write the major ones-- get it? Got it? Good! Edit: Huzzah! I got the cover art up Here is a link to it on Deviant Art, by the way: A Mirror Universe Cover art It's supposed to be a picture of Celestia, Luna and Cadence as a portrait/painting, seen through a mirror that has become a purple portal. In this picture you can see Celly and Luna's empress jewelry, which was based off their fancy crowns and historical jewelry. I made it myself in MS paint. Anywho, thank you all so much for reading this, and I hope you enjoyed it! If you want to know more about Karamverse, feel free to follow me on Deviant Art and check out my gallery, which is filled with spoilers. I go by the same name there as I do here, so it should be easy to find me.
Chapter 1: In Which Cadence Becomes a PrincessCanterlot. The City on the Mountain; unlike the still impressive Witeaneigh, this city was young and built specifically to be the capital of a global hegemon. On the highest point of the Platform-City stood the Palace of the Sun and Moon: A massive work of architecture, with a dintel, supported by columns taller than fifty ponies which gave way to a great waiting room and a pair of massive alabaster doors. Behind these doors, the Throne Room, with twin thrones, stood. In the throne to the right, a white alicorn with a multicolored mane and tail sat regally, her sister, of a dark shade of blue and a sparkling blue mane and tail sat, both looking at the pony in the room: a young guard from a town not far from the northern border… “Your Majesties,” He said, “I have come to confirm what the rumours in Vanhoover say… the young filly ascended.” The guard, a unicorn, said the last word with disbelief, not because the filly in question did not do so, but because he did not see this as an “ascension”. The Eldest of the sovereigns nodded and looked at her younger sister who nodded as well. “I assume you brought her to us,” She stated, her lavender eyes looking upon him in what can only be described as an unreadable manner. The guard nodded and motioned for her to be sent in. A pink filly came into the throne room, her purple eyes looking to the floor, looking as if she had done something wrong. The white Alicorn smiled warmly at her and slowly stepped out of her throne, her mane flowing around her with every step; carefully the mare moved and while she was not eye-to-eye with the filly, she was as close to that as she could be. The younger royal Alicorn sighed and looked at them. Somewhat scared, the filly looked up to see a warm, almost motherly smile; The white alicorn gazed at her. “What is your name?” She asked; The filly looked away and then at her. “C-Cadenza,” she answered with a stutter, for it was impossible to not be nervous when faced with both empresses. “I,” soothed the white alicorn, “am Celestia, and she,” she motioned towards the darker alicorn, “is my sister Luna.” said alicorn sighed and looked at them. However the moment was cut short when a mare went in-- a light grey crystal mare with purple eyes and mane “Oh goodness there you are,” She panted. Little Cadenza flinched, almost hiding behind Celestia. Surprised, the empress stood up, letting the little one remain behind her. The mare then noticed Celestia and Luna and bowed. “And who,” Said Luna, “Might you be?” Her voice, as usual in such situations, was colder, more demanding than her sister’s motherly voice; The crystal mare seemed to be slightly scared, but soon composed herself. “My name is Abacus Cinch, and I run the central orphanage of Vanhoover… We have been looking for her for some days already!” She explained. Celestia and Luna exchanged confused and skeptical looks as Cadenza remained hidden behind Celestia; Luna came down and gave the little filly a warmer look before she clung onto the darker alicorn. “P-Please, don’t let her take me,” She whispered. Luna nodded at that and eyed Celestia, who nodded and turned to Cinch. “As you can see, she is well… How old is she?” Startled and confused by the question, Cinch nodded and answered, “She is Twelve years old, Your Majesty.” Celestia nodded, barely believing it. When she saw the little filly, she looked nine or ten at most: not only did she seem underdeveloped, but it also seemed that she was not having enough to eat… and from what Celestia saw, it wasn’t just because of lack of funding. With a soft sigh, Celestia turned back to Cinch; it took her a few seconds to decide. “Miss Cinch, Little Cadenza will not be needing your care anymore; I have decided to adopt her… Furthermore, I believe that since we were about to begin checking the state of the orphanages across the Empire, we could start with yours,” Celestia announced. Cinch froze for a few seconds, then nodded a bit nervously. Celestia gave her a soft smile as always, and then Cinch excused herself as Luna carried the filly away…. Now Celestia’s attention was turned to the guard. “Night Light is it?” She said; The guard tensed up and saluted. “Yes Your Majesty, that is my name.” Celestia nodded and sat back in her throne, thinking… “Do you have children?” The guard nodded. “Yes your majesty, a young son around twelve” Celestia smiled at that. “Good, could you bring him tomorrow? Little Cadenza needs a friend of her age,” she told him, and despite sounding like a friendly question, they both knew it was an order. Night Light saluted and saw her leaving before sighing… tomorrow was definitely going to be a long day. Author's Note Dear Reader, This is Pioneering Author. I am the co-author of this story. My friend Imperator Aetheris and I have been steadily working on a massive project-- an MLP universe involving more than just the Mane Six and Equestria-- we are expanding the whole world, coming up with complex histories and cultures of many animal nations. We are calling this universe Karamverse, after one of the main (most important) characters, who you will meet in the next chapter. This simple story is the basic introduction to our massive project, although it is technically an AU so it's not exactly Karamverse. Nevertheless, it should give you a taste of what we are doing. I did my best at editing, but I probably missed something, so feel free to kindly give me advice on what to fix. Also, the idea of including links to music came from the Kingdom Hearts-MLP crossover, "Kingdom Hearts of Harmony" by Steel Soul, which you can find on this website. Seriously, check it out. -- The pioneer with a heart for people and a thousand stories to tell ~+~
Chapter 2: In Which Cadence meets Shining Armor[Open green link in new tab to play music, and at the red words stop that music.] Canterlot As the sun rose upon the city on the platform, in one of the bedrooms a young filly woke up slowly and got off her bed…. Only then she realized where she was. Happily she walked out of her room and was instantly met by a guard. The guard noticed her and sighed, “I am to lead you to the dining hall.” Cadenza followed obediently. Once they arrived, she noticed Luna and Celestia, both smiling softly as they sat at a small table with three seats. “Oh, You’re here now!” lilted Celestia with a smile. Luna motioned for her to get the empty seat and, as soon as Cadenza had done so, two servants began bringing in food. Cadenza was surprised as she witnessed the amount of many different kinds of food entering the room. “We hope it is to your liking,” Luna told her, “We did not know which foods you like more, so we decided to get a bit of everything.” The filly smiled happily and ate, a bit embarrassed as the two older princesses ate. “Well, how are you liking your new home?” Asked Celestia, smiling warmly as she looked up at her “I-It’s really nice” She answered with a smile. Suddenly, the same guard from the previous day came in, and next to him there was a young colt around the same age as the youngest alicorn-- he had white fur and a blue mane and tail. As soon as Celestia floated two other seats to the table, he smiled shyly at them and took a seat. “I am so glad you joined up today, Night Light,” As the mentioned stallion blushed slightly she continued, “And who might be this fine colt?” The colt in question blushed a bit and smiled, introducing himself with, “I’m Shining Armor,” He looked at them, “And I will be the best guard ever!” He smiled, then blushed and looked away as Cadenza giggled softly. The two older royals smiled softly as they all ate. Once they had eaten breakfast, Celestia and Luna went off to their duties, but not before arranging something… soon enough, a young maid was tasked with giving Cadenza and Shining a tour of the castle. “So… you are Shining Armor?” Cadenza asked as the tour began. “Yes… and you are?” Shining asked nervously, unsure if he should call her something royal or not, considering how close in age she was to himself. “I am Cadenza,” the filly answered with a happy smile. “Caden...Cadence?” Shining stammered, unsure of what sort of name that was. Cadenza chortled. “It’s CadENZa, but you can call me ‘Cadence.’” “Okay, Cadence!” It seemed that the two were off to a great start, and for the first time in a while, Cadenza was able to fully relax--something about having a friendly nickname comforted her. “Wow! This place is so big!” Shining noted as Cadenza looked in awe, barely believing this was to be her home now. “This is the library,” the mare stated as she led them into a magnificent room filled with all sorts of books that left Cadenza and Shining staring with open mouths, unable to speak. Cadenza had no idea so many books could be in one place. Of course, that was merely the beginning. “This is the grand ballroom, where the Grand Galloping Gala is held every year for a few esteemed guests,” The maid informed them in a hushed voice, for she herself admired this room deeply, and she was all too pleased to see the looks of amazement on the colt and filly’s faces. “So… THIS is where the Gala is… EVERY year?” Cadenza asked in a whisper. “Yes it is, Your Highness,” the maid replied with a grin. “The floors are so shiny,” Shining remarked as he gazed at his reflection in the marble floors. “Indeed, we try to keep it as clean as possible, right up until the moment the Gala starts,” The maid agreed, with a proud smile, which was perhaps in part due to the fact that she herself had supervised the preparations for the last year. “How many ponies come to the gala?” Cadenza questioned as she pondered how much dirt must get on the floors every year. “Oh, many ponies! It varies between years, but it’s often in the hundreds! Not too many past three hundred I would say, though,” The maid speculated as she waved a hoof casually. “Wow, that is a lot of ponies!” Shining remarked. “And a lot of dirt,” Cadenza added as she noted the fancy rug in the middle of the floor. At those words the maid laughed and agreed with, “Indeed, a LOT of dirt.” The maid showed the two young ponies around the castle premises for more than an hour, since there were so many rooms. However the maid had to eventually take on other duties, so she got a second maid, with more experience with foals, and who was conveniently free at the moment, to take over. Said maid did so gladly. “How about we visit the gardens next?” The maid suggested with a bright smile. “Oh, I would love that!” “Sure!” Within a few minutes, they were strolling through the magnificent gardens. “Now, these gardens are very well taken care of, as you can tell, and there are all sorts of plants and animals that dwell here,” the maid explained, “We have lots of birds, butterflies, squirrels, some monkeys, lizards, many exotic flowers and trees--you name it, there’s a good chance we have it if it’s in season!” At this point the maid laughed, which made the younger ponies giggle along with her. Indeed, the maid was correct, and it seemed as if every flower Cadenza eyed was more beautiful than the last, and the birds sang so beautifully that she wished to sit in there forever. She was taken out of her thoughts when she felt something being carefully placed on her head. It was a flower! but who… then she noticed the colt, smiling at her with a slight blush. After looking at each other for a few seconds the filly giggled and the colt laughed along. The sun shone brightly on the two, but an even brighter warmth was shining in Cadenza’s heart as she realized that this was the start of a new, much happier life. Meanwhile, from a window, the two empresses looked at the scene, Celestia smiling softly and happily as Luna watched, also happy despite not letting it show. In the end they both thought the same thing: It was, after all, good to have taken her into their care.
Chapter 3: In Which Cadence Decides to Ship CelestiaCanterlot A few months had passed, and Cadence was strolling down the road to one of the main parks of the city, still somewhat uncomfortable wearing the garments of a princess. With a soft sigh, she made her way through the crowd of ponies, a few respectfully keeping out of her way, others not even noticing her. Amongst the sea of ponies, Cadence noticed one in particular-- she had never seen him but he looked like somepony…. She walked up to him until they were fairly close “Hi!” She said cheerfully The tall stallion turned to face her. He was a dun-colored alicorn with a black mane and tail, blue eyes, and a large scar that looked similar to a spider web on his left cheek. He was slightly taller than Celestia, and was wearing regal blue Saddle-Arabian tack. Indeed, it wasn't just his tack that looked regal--everything about him looked important... and muscular... and handsome. “Good day,” He said with a warm smile, “You must be the new princess--Cadenza, correct?” Suddenly a nearby dark green colored unicorn horse trotted over to him to observe what was happening. He had a white mane and tail, silvery eyes, was also wearing some Saddle-Arabian tack, and he was approximately the same height as Luna. Since he was a horse, not a pony, he lacked a cutie mark while the dun colored alicorn pony had a cutie mark that looked like a sandy tornado. Cadence smiled widely, an idea forming in her head, remembering that Celestia was in that day of the year where countless nobles would try to woo her… yes, it just had to be! “Yes!” She said, then looked at him without noticing the unicorn “And you are?” Before the alicorn could answer, the unicorn beside him answered for him, saying, “He is none other than Prince Karam Al-Asif ibn-Khayri-Al-Nasim ibn Malik Al-Aziz Ahl-Rikhab, commonly known as ‘The Sandstorm Prince,’ second son of Malik Khayri Al-Nasim of Saddle-Arabia, ruler of the desert sands and the flowing rivers and all lands within the domain of Saddle-Arabia.” Startled by the unicorn’s speech, Cadence stepped back a bit, unsure of what to say. After the unicorn stopped speaking, Karam gave him a cold, bored look as he stamped one of his grey hooves on the ground firmly. “I told you to stop doing that, Ziad,” Karam sighed. “Oh… I’m sorry… old habits die hard, Your Highness,” Ziad answered with a low bow. Turning back to Cadence, Karam smiled again and apologized, “You must forgive my advisor-- my father sent me here to relax, and he sent my advisor and some bodyguards to ensure that I would be taken care of… but sometimes my advisor goes a bit too far in introducing me.” Cadence giggled softly at that and nodded. “All right, I guess-- I get it… I mean, whenever I walked out of the palace with a guard, the same would happen to me,” She sighed before looking at him, “Relax? I know just the place for that!” She smiled happily. Yes now she knew what she wanted to do and how to do so… Karam and Ziad looked at each other curiously. “What exactly do you plan on doing?” Karam enquired. “Have you ever been to the gardens of the Palace of the Sun and Moon?” She asked, looking at them with a happy smile on her face, almost pleading for them to go. “Unfortunately, no,” Karam admitted with a longing look in his eye, “When I was sent here, my father told me to avoid doing anything political, to help me relax, for I was worrying too much at home, hence we have had minor contact with the Empresses, and although they know we are here, we have no plans on meeting with them, or touring their castle. Perhaps next time… why do you ask?” “Well, those gardens are the BEST place to relax in all of Canterlot, and I’m sure you’d love it there… I will make sure you won’t find any political trouble there,” She looked at them with her huge purple eyes, “´pleeease!” Karam gazed at the sky, pondering how to answer. “Sire, we really shouldn’t be bothering the empresses,” Ziad warned, the silver rings on his harness jingling as he implored him, “We really should not go---please, let’s just go to the countryside instead.” However, Ziad knew that when Karam’s eyes had that look in them, there was no turning back. “I would love to see your gardens, Princess Cadenza,” Karam accepted as he beamed back at Cadence gently while a breeze blew the tassels on his harness softly. Ziad sighed and shook his head, hoping this would not end in disaster. Cadence smiled happily, beaming at that. “Right! I’ll meet you at the main entrance of the palace at… say… four?” She looked at him, hoping this would work. “Of course-- should I dress up in something more regal?” Karam asked. “If you want,” She shrugged at that, hoping he wouldn’t mind meeting a certain pony in a less… regal environment “Sire, considering you are supposed to relax… how about something more casual?” Ziad suggested. “I suppose you are correct--besides, my regal outfits are very heavy and hot in this time of year,” Karam decided, “All right, I shall meet you at four this afternoon, Princess Cadenza.” Cadence smiled happily and nodded “Ok! I’ll meet you then there.” She then went back to the palace; there was something else she needed to do. Soon she happily headed back to the palace, all she needed now was to get Celestia out of that horrible group of nobles… As soon as Celestia had a moment to herself, Cadence got to her and hugged her, With a happy, if somewhat confused, smile Celestia hugged her back. “Aunt Celestia… will you be free at four?” She asked, her big violet eyes looking into Celestia’s. The older alicorn smiled at that before Cadence continued, “I have a big surprise for you, but you need to be on the gardens at four.” Amused, Celestia answered with a warm smile, “I think I should be free by then.” Hopping happily around her, Cadence exclaimed, “Yay! I’ll see you then!” Later, Celestia entered the gardens, wondering what surprise Cadence had planned for her today. Only a few minutes later, Cadence walked into the gardens, followed by a yellow-orange stallion who had dark brown and black legs and was wearing black Saddle-Arabian tack. Neither of the two adults knew what was going to happen… Celestia stared at the pair with a puzzled, yet warm look on her face. The stallion looked familiar… oh yes, it was one of the princes of Saddle-Arabia. Karam, meanwhile, was holding his head high when he first entered, but when he saw that Empress Celestia was in the gardens, he halted, worried about what she would think of him being there. Suddenly he wished that he listened to his advisor and went somewhere else that day. Cadence giggled at that and led him in. “Come on, it will be fine,” She whispered happily. Cautiously Karam approached with Cadence while Celestia smiled at them both sweetly. Karam realized as he got closer to the empress that Celestia was actually a very faint shade of pink, and not a true white. He also admired her flowing, sparkling mane and tail, and couldn’t help but feel relaxed under her warm and comforting gaze. Perhaps this was not such a bad idea after all. For a moment he wished he let his advisor come with him--seeing the empress in such a relaxing place was surely a once in a lifetime opportunity. Amazingly she wasn’t even in her full regalia-- just a few necklaces and her crown adorned her; indeed she was casual, and Karam may never see her like this again. “Well… it is a pleasant surprise to see you here,” Celestia told him with a very slight blush and a warm smile, “I Imagine that, since my niece brought you here she has something planned… right?” She looked at Cadence, waiting to see what else had she planned. “Um… Follow me!” She exclaimed before heading over to a small place under the shadow of two cherry trees, where there was a large cloth with different foods… almost like a picnic. Karam smiled at Celestia awkwardly, and then looked at Cadence and thanked her with, “I must say, this is quite well done--thank you, Your Highness.” “Yes, thank you, Cadence--how very thoughtful of you,” Celestia added with a gentle smile. “Well,” Cadence started, “I just thought you needed a friend.” of course, she was not about to tell her that she was hoping they would go beyond that… Celestia nodded and laid on one side of the blanket, signaling to Karam to sit on the other side. “Let me see… Karam Al-Asif, correct?” Celestia recalled as Karam laid down on the other end across from her. “Yes, Your Majesty, that is correct,” Karam acknowledged with a nod as he stretched his dark brown legs for a bit. Karam then turned to Cadence and asked, “Are you going to sit down as well?” Cadence nodded and sat next to them, smiling happily about how this was going. Celestia used her magic to lift the teapot and pour herself a cup, then turned to Karam and asked, “Would you like some tea?” “Yes, Your Majesty,” Karam accepted with another respectful nod. “Since we are in a casual environment, I would like you to call me by my name--Celestia,” Celestia allowed with another smile while she poured some tea for Karam. At those words, Karam also smiled and grabbed the cup in his own pale yellow magic. “As you wish, Celestia-- and I would also like you to call me by my name, Karam.” He decided that if the empress was going to be casual, he may as well be casual too. Cadence, in the meantime, smiled as she served herself some tea, looking at them happily at noticing that they were on a first-name basis. “So, Karam, what is it like in your homeland; I have never ventured there myself,” Celestia asked before taking a sip of tea. “Well, it is probably as diverse as this land… but smaller--we have rivers, deserts, forests… and at night it can get very, very cold, and in the morning it is usually quite hot,” Karam began, trying to determine how to talk about his vast homeland properly, “Furthermore, we don’t get very much snow, and we do not have pegasi controlling the weather as you do here.” “I have heard that, but sometimes I wonder if what I read is true,” Celestia confided between sips, “I must say, it is nice to hear it from somepony who actually has been there.” “Indeed, I found it hard to believe that pegasi controlled the weather here myself,” Karam admitted while reaching for an apple with his magic, “And indeed, there is nothing like seeing it happen before my eyes.” After taking a bite of the apple and swallowing, he added, “You really should visit Saddle-Arabia for yourself; I think you would enjoy the diversity of the land and its citizens.” “I hope to see it one day… but sadly my duties as an empress are never finished,” Celestia sighed, “Please, tell me about your citizens.” “Well, we have many ponies, like you do here,” Karam began nostalgically, “But we also have other equines-- donkeys, mules, and horses are most everywhere, and we also have camels, oxen, and in the far regions we have Karkadann as well.” “I see. Tell me, how do you manage to live together in peace?” Celestia inquired before eating some grapes. “As long as they obey the laws, we let them be, and I truly am not sure how they all manage to live together, but they do. I suppose part of it is due to our sense of honor and duty, and another part is due to how strongly we value our families… and the rest… who knows. I will say, however, that I know that many times they do have squabbles or disagreements based on their species, but those are often resolved fairly quickly,” Karam explained. “Ah, so not everything is perfect,” Celestia noted before taking a small piece of cake for herself. “No, nothing is perfect, but we do our best to uphold our honor and values, and it appears to be working so far,” Karam admitted as he finished eating his apple. Turning to Cadence, Celestia questioned, “And what do you think of this?” Cadence looked at them, unsure about what to say, then nodded “w-well, I think it’s great!” She looked at them with a slightly nervous smile. Celestia grinned at her and then turned back to Karam. For over an hour they talked about various subjects, and enjoyed themselves immensely. Unfortunately, a messenger arrived with some sort of problem that Celestia had to sort out, and the picnic came to an end. As Celestia walked off to take care of it, Cadence smiled happily at Karam, wanting to know what was on his mind. Karam stretched his wings as he stood up, and then turned to Cadence, asking, “Well, Young Princess, is there anything else you wish me to do?” “Well, what do you think? O-Of this I mean,” she said, pointing towards the picnic, “would you do this again?” She asked hopefully. “If I am ever back in Equestria, I will make certain to try and arrange another such meeting,” Karam decided as he grinned at Cadence gently. Cadence smiled at that, looking at him. “Okay! But please, can you write to us?” She asked again with her big purple eyes looking at him cutely, almost begging “Would your Empress permit me to write? I am not sure if it would be proper for a prince to write to one of such high authority. Besides, I do have duties at home, so I am not sure how often I would be able to write,” Karam pointed out with a shrug. “I know, but she will allow it,” She looked at him, “And I’m sure it will be fine.” At this point, Karam raised an eyebrow suspiciously. This filly was certainly determined to have him writing to her empress for some reason. Turning to face Cadence fully, Karam looked down at her and inquired, “Tell me, Young Princess… what is your ‘special talent’ again? I recall hearing of it, but can’t quite remember at the moment.” She giggled a bit “I won’t tell.” Again Karam raised an eyebrow at her and stared at her sternly, his blue eyes searching all over her for some sign of what she was strategizing. At length, he eyed her cutie mark again, and noted that it was a crystal gem in a heart shape… a heart shape… heart… love… oh no, this filly wasn’t a matchmaker in her young age, was she? Surely she wouldn’t honestly set up her Empress/aunt with a random prince would she? Studying the filly’s secretive smile, Karam knew she probably would. “Young Princess, I am about as old as your Empress-- and in my age I’ve learned a lot about how other ponies think. I have a feeling I know what you are thinking, and I have a feeling your empress would not be interested… especially since I don’t even have a throne,” Karam whispered in an amused, yet firm tone of voice, “I will say, however, that you are one wily young mare, and your enemies should be careful around you.” She giggled at that. “I just thought my aunt wouldn’t like any of those old nobles,” She looked at him, “And how do you know she won’t be?” “AHA!” Karam exclaimed as he stamped his foot, “You sneaky little filly! I KNEW you were trying to make a match!” At this point he shook his head and laughed, and then looked at her again and sighed, “And in the world of rulers, politics comes first, not infatuation or good ideas. For the sake of politics, your empress should marry somepony with a great position of power… I am just the second-born son; I don’t have much power… and such important matches aren’t just arranged by young princesses, but thought out by ponies who rule great areas; if anypony is going to arrange a match between myself and your aunt, it would be my father… or your aunt herself…” After looking around to ensure nopony was watching, Karam whispered, “However, I must admit that your aunt is quite a beautiful mare. Don’t tell anypony I said that though,” After that he straightened up and announced in a louder voice, “Now, I must return to my hotel before my advisor dies of worry. Good evening, and thank you again for the enjoyable picnic.” “Well…” She looked at him, “As much as you say that you’re not powerful enough, and leaving simple romance behind… being the second son of your father means that, should you be married away from your court there would not be so much problem… besides, nopony unites two kingdoms just because of a royal marriage anymore… and I wouldn’t be surprised if this happened some day,” She smiled at him sweetly, “But please, write anyways, it was fun meeting you. ” “I must say, you are more clever than most fillies your age,” Karam complemented her with a chuckle, “and if you keep making up such elaborate plans they shall have to name you ‘Cadenza the Wily Matchmaker.’ As for what I shall do… I would like to write to your Empress Celestia… and also to you… if I have some spare time.” Cadence smiled at that, containing a giggle at that comment before nodding “Okay! It was nice to meet you,” She told him. Karam nodded with a grin. “Indeed, it was most fascinating getting to meet you both,” He confessed as he turned to walk away. As he left, he thought about his conversation with the Empress of the Sun. The sun slowly began to set, and as she saw him walk away, Cadence sighed softly and smiled to herself, quite sure that it would come to pass…
Chapter 4: Of Alternate TwilightsPonyville, Equestria. Princess Twilight Sparkle looked at the mirror that Celestia had sent. Just like the mirror that led her to meet Sunset Shimmer, this was one of Starswirl the Bearded’s experiments… However, Princess Celestia had not told her where would this one lead; it was almost as if she had never bothered to try and know what was on the other side… Excitedly she began to power it up, waiting… Then the inside of the mirror turned to a purple tone, and somehow, she found herself being sucked in… “B-But… it’s not supposed to do that!” She managed to exclaim before disappearing into the mirror. Canterlot, The Other Equestria. A few years had passed, and Princess Cadence of the Alicorn Empire was walking towards the Canterlot Library with Twilight Sparkle, her coltfriend’s sister who she was foalsitting for now. For a moment she looked over to the park and noticed, amongst many alicorns and other ponies that walked around, a different alicorn. She was Purple, in different shades on her mane and too similar to Twilight… Deciding that she was just a bit tired, she continued onwards to the library. Meanwhile, a very confused Princess Twilight looked over at the city which, besides the large amount of alicorns, seemed just like Canterlot. Managing to blend in, she walked around from the park and towards the library; After her previous encounters with alternate universes and time loops, she was not too eager to attract attention by asking a random pony about where she was… Eventually she made her way to the library; not paying that much attention to who was inside, she got a book on history and sighed, hoping it could enlighten her, but knowing it would take a long time. It was then that a filly bumped into her. Surprised, she turned to help her up and then froze in place. This was simply impossible… Right? The little filly also looked at her, trying to understand what she was seeing, after all, it’s not every day you see yourself, grown up and with wings. To add to the surreal scene, right after the filly, Princess Twilight noticed a pink teenaged alicorn walking up to them. “T-Twilight?” It was Cadence who broke the awkward silence, and both turned their heads to her as the pink alicorn tried to recover from this. Not knowing what to say, Cadence sat there. Twilight walked over to her and was soon hiding behind her, while Princess Twilight stared at them in a mild shock. “What is going on?” Asked Cadence, looking at the older Twilight who just sat there. For a few seconds she went through all the possible things that could have gone wrong when opening the portal before finally confessing, “I… I don’t know.” Softly, Cadence walked up to her, sitting closer before examining this other Twilight, who seemed as old as herself, and was an alicorn. Silently she watched before little Twilight looked at them. “Are you from another universe?” She asked quietly. Princess Twilight nodded at that. “Did it have something to do with Starswirl the Bearded? ” the filly asked, clearly interested now. Princess Twilight smiled at that, nodding, “Yeah! I was examining a mirror he made and I ended up here,” She admitted, slightly embarrassed. At that, Cadence giggled a bit. This mare was definitely Twilight! As they began talking, Cadence watched; admittedly, she had never liked her magic classes, and soon was lost in their conversation. “And that is how I arrived here,” finished Princess Twilight as the little one smiled, then thought of something… “Wait… If Celestia is a Princess where you’re from… then who is the Empress?” She looked at the older Twilight with a curious gaze. Twilight seemed surprised by the question and looked at them “Empress? ” she asked, surprised. “Yes!” The filly responded, “Who is the empress of the Alicorn Empire?” “We don’t have an alicorn empire anymore,” Princess Twilight explained, “It fell thousands of years ago… wait… this IS that empire… in another universe,” as the realization came to her, she became increasingly excited, “So… even though we are in different universes, it’s still pretty much the same… so… I could stay here for a while and research! Oh, there are so many questions! So many mysteries! I can’t wait to find it all out for myself!” Little Twilight squealed at that and looked at Cadence. “Can I help her? Pleeeease?” she looked at the pink alicorn with her recently-mastered technique of puppy eyes. Cadence giggled slightly and looked at them before nodding. “All right, but we will have to talk to Aunt Celestia and Aunt Luna,” she reminded her. Little Twilight did a small happy dance before looking at them… and once again Princess Twilight halted abruptly. “Wait… Luna? Oh, nevermind,” She guessed it was logical to think that if the Empire existed, then Nightmare Moon never occurred. Suddenly, another realization struck her: they were not just princesses, they were of the Old Alicorn Imperial Family! After taking a long breath and sighing she nodded. Several days passed; Princess Twilight was quietly settled in the Palace of Sun and Moon and actually studying under Luna about the history of this world while teaching her about her own. Although Twilight wouldn’t admit it, this arrangement made her happy. Getting to know a Luna who never had the guilt of Nightmare Moon was indeed a privilege. However it had to end eventually, and as the Alicorns got the portal working, Princess Twilight walked over and embraced Celestia. Soon enough Cadence and Luna had joined in the hug. “I look forward to meeting you again Twilight Sparkle, and maybe my counterpart as well,” Luna confided with a warm smile, breaking the silence. Soon they bid farewell, and Twilight slowly made her way into the portal, back to her world. She would have a great tale to tell her friends about this universe beyond the mirror. Author's Note Dear Reader, this is Pioneering Author again. Well, how did you like that? In Karamverse, in the ancient days there was a whole empire filled with alicorns, and that is where Celestia and Luna come from, but eventually the empire fell, leading to the war with Discord and Celestia and Luna ruling as princesses, not empresses. In this AU, however, the empire never fell, and as you can imagine, there were many alicorns besides the empresses in this empire, although their numbers were dwindling. Anyway, just to let you all know, everything in here is a test, and you are the test subjects-- meaning that if anything isn't working right, we need to know about it NOW, in THIS story, before we write the major ones-- get it? Got it? Good! Edit: Huzzah! I got the cover art up Here is a link to it on Deviant Art, by the way: A Mirror Universe Cover art It's supposed to be a picture of Celestia, Luna and Cadence as a portrait/painting, seen through a mirror that has become a purple portal. In this picture you can see Celly and Luna's empress jewelry, which was based off their fancy crowns and historical jewelry. I made it myself in MS paint. Anywho, thank you all so much for reading this, and I hope you enjoyed it! If you want to know more about Karamverse, feel free to follow me on Deviant Art and check out my gallery, which is filled with spoilers. I go by the same name there as I do here, so it should be easy to find me.
