Venture to the castle

The sky dimmed into a dark jasmine, the stars glistening out one by one. From the balcony of the Canterlot castle, Celestia is seen pointing her horn at the shimmering sun, highlighting it in a banana yellow aura as she slowly descends it over the horizon, replacing it with the moon shortly afterwards.

You trot down the cobblestone path leading to Gearlock's home, beside it stood small silver lamps, illuminating the walkway straightforward for you to easily see. The atmosphere felt quiet around you, yet the crickets broke that with their nightly "cricketing, or however it's refereed to as. Nevertheless, at least it sounded relaxing, soothing your lingering anxiety as it grows with each hoof-step.

No, you can't back-out now, this is the time to actually take the leap instead of letting it go. You've waited your entire life to let this go to waste, and you're not going to let that happen on your watch.

You give your head a rough shake. Just go ahead and grab your mare before you head to the castle. Simple as that.

Well, more as in "best friend" instead of..that...terminology-Anyways!

You spot the home not to far from your position, the large shadow of it's silhouette being the first thing you catch before gazing at it. It's nothing different than any other home around Ponyville, simple integrity, structure, even including a 2-floor placement for Gear and her father to be suited with. You always wondered what ever happened to her mother though, as you can recall only seeing the older unicorn when you were just a colt and after that she just disappeared. Asking Gear made her stiffen, eyes dilating shortly before returning to normal, her tone switching to dismissive immediately. "She's gone" is the only response you'd get from her, and always is whenever you bring up the topic every once-in-a-while.

You'd then bring up on HOW she meant it like that. But as you did, she just stands there silent, keeping her mouth shut while staring at you with her golden eyes. You always could've sworn you'd see a tint of sadness in them, yet you decided not to question that since you've already made matters worse then it is.

Making to the front door you gave it a couple of knocks, a bit softly, considering a certain stallion is fast asleep at this hour, yet rough enough so the unicorn upstairs can hear you. You heard some shuffling on the other side, presumably from upstairs, followed by faint hoof-falls creaking against the hardwood floor of the home's floorboards and staircase, growing louder as Gearlock makes it to the door. But before you are able to see the mare again, you took another look at her home. You catch the sight of the giant gear sticking out from it's left side, obviously the cause of the home's giant shadow towering over you. Of course you'd guess this would be Gear's house from the moment you first spotted it, yet you wonder why she would make things a bit obvious when her name is GEARlock. I guess her father got the inspiration from his life in the tower to name her after a peg, though you'd expect him to dwell his mind into something else that doesn't involve with gears at least. I mean, the stallion's almost in his late 30's and he installed a giant gear to stick from the side of his home, he has to try something else.

The door then opens to reveal the unicorn you're awaiting, straightening her mane flat with one hoof, eyes boring a drowsy look, bags forming underneath her eyes. You almost forget for the fact that it's already 2 o'clock in the morning, and Gear here would always try to squeeze in whatever time she may have working on her figurines before sunrise. Which is sacrificing large portion's of her sleep to do-so.

"Great, you're still up." you said, feeling the excitement surge through you again, "Now let's get a move-on. I'm pretty sure the guardponies are already beginning their nightly scouting at this hour, yet there isn't much we can't evade through easily. I'll tell ya, Gear, this is going to be a piece of-"

"Let me stop you right there, Z." Gearlock interjects, halting you mid-sentence, her voice feeling tired and raspy, "Tell me again why in Celestia's name are we doing this again?"

"Did you forget so easily, Gear? We're trying to find this 'portal', or the 'Crystal Mirror' leading to the other world so we may see what it's all about. And it's located inside Princess Twilight Sparkle's Castle of Friendship, just at the edge of Ponyville, not too far from here. All the ponies are, sure-enough, inside their homes, fast asleep like your ol' man here, right now. Only the guardponies are out on patrol at the castle, and it's easy to get past them without breaking a sweat. This is the only time we can make it before sunrise."

You then see Gearlock's expression change to a stern stare at your chocolate orb and bionic implant. She, of course, seems to STILL have some discourages with the idea.

"Z3R0, this is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY a terrible idea to go through with. I mean, heck, we've been in that forest for about-I don't know-5 minutes before those three ponies showed up, mentioning something about some 'magical, different-dimensional portal, leading to some other universe we've never heard of until now'. It's out-of-the-ordinary to just have that information leaked to us when we BARELY know anything else about the Princess then what we already do know. But, by SOME miracle, we've managed to find her 'closest pals' trotting beside us at the 'perfect' moment when 'all seemed bleak'. This just seems like a stretch, even for you, Z. It's not worth it, there's no reward then just some unfortunate turn-of-events leading you to fall on your face, again, and I'm there to help your sorry butt when you cant. The best thing to do is forget about this entire fiasco, head back home-or crash with me, whatever-get some sleep, REALLY think about the concept of this entire, idiotic idea, and look forward to tomorrow and what we can do NOW that we've figured out the cause of your B0T's malfunctions. It's a good, NORMAL plan then this bland plot device. It almost sounds like we're in some-sort of terrible fan-fiction, just SPRINTING to the plot at a bad time, making it seem like we're just introduced to later become brushed aside for the main idea to roll in. It's poor writing. Don't you think?!"

After her blunt, though 'stretched', remark about EVERYTHING up to this point, you just simply stood there, your face not changing the slightest then your eyelids falling half-shut.

"...Your point?"

Gear felt one of her eyes twitch before she let a hoof lie on her muzzle, letting it slide down until reaching it's edge. "There's no point in trying to talk you out of this, is there, Z?"

"N-ope" you reply, feeling all the effort in the unicorn's statement to just fly through one ear and out the other. Your giddy smile returning to your face shortly.

Seeing this, Gearlock let out a small groan of frustration. "Of course...Of course..J-just wait here. Alright?"

You gave her a quick, energetic nod, watching as she closes the door. The sound of rattling wood, metal squeaking, and more hoof-falls is heard before the unicorn returns outside again. She locks up the door behind her with a set of 'flying' keys, later storing them back inside her saddle bag hanging from her neck with her magic. You didn't realize she had that thing, yet it suited her quite nicely. Of course, the gear emblem on the bag wouldn't make you question why.

"Alright.." the unicorn begins, her voice still exhausted to "pipe-up","Let's go, shall we...?"

"YES!"

But before galloping to the castle, you decided to make a quick pit-stop back at your shack again. Still cautious of the deadly forest beside you two. You thought that this was CRUCIAL to the task if you wanted to get it done "right". It was the most important element you got from a certain cyan, rainbow-maned pegasus. Your ecstatic smile still didn't dissipate, and neither did Gearlock's disproving frown as you two held the fabric in your hooves.

"You have GOT to be kidding me, Z?" Gearlock asked, her stern look still digging holes in your head. She still picked at the same spot where the black fabric is ridding up her hide continuously while it hugs her body tightly.

"This is perfect, Gear. These jump suits are sure-enough for us to make it past these ponies without them spotting us easily in the blink of an eye. To them we'll just be the shadows, moving off to every corner quickly, efficiently, and nicely. Nopony would know it would be us at all!"

"...Who's the moron you got that idea from?"

You scoffed when hearing that question, a bit baffled that she hasn't obviously know who. "Rainbow Dash, of course. Don't you EVER pay attention? She always does this whenever she needed to 'get by' as quickly as she is."

The unicorn still stared at you with her unimpressed expression, still stuck to her features like glue. "...You're an idiot, Z3R0"

"Nevertheless! We must make hast before it's too late! Come, Gear!"

You bolted down the street leading to the Castle of Friendship, Gearlock shouting your name, but in a loud hushed voice before ridding behind you. As you two trotted down, you made sure to look around to see if any guardponies will be around as you expect. But In your favor, none are around the castle, possibly inside instead.

"That would make sense" you murmured, gazing at the large, crystallized tree, looking around it's design and integrity. You're surprised that this, despite it being rooted to a tree, grew from a small shard in the ground into this giant in front of you two. It's simple as planting an acorn and having it sprout into an oak tree, minus the tiny magic fragments within it, of course. With your robotic eye you close-in on the castle, your vision through the device was a ruby red as you dart the iris back and forth. Everything you catch, glance, and take-in becomes analyzed by the eye, trying to find the perfect "entrance" to "walk in" through. Unfortunately, nothing was found at the moment and the data came up to nothing. Plus, by the looks of all the sealed twin entrances, and how they wouldn't budge no matter how much you jumble their handles, everything is sealed tight.

"Man, looks like this place is secured nicely. Can't find anyway to get inside. Maybe we could climb-"

"No, we don't.." Gear interrupted, again. Looking over at the unicorn, you were surprised that she wasn't there anymore, you looked all-around yourself to find the jasmine pony, but to avail.

Hearing her sigh, she adds, "Up here, Z."

You craned your neck up to find her at the top of a ledge beside a set of two large, golden doors, staring down at you as if "nothing happened". You looked back to where she once stood and up at the ledge, constantly repeating back and forth before you gave a shake of your head. Of course, you forget that she's a unicorn, she has magic on her side. Duh.

You gave a light chuckle afterwards, "Right..Well, nice work, Gear. But any chance you'd-"

"Don't. Finish."

Gearlock's horn glistens in a purple aura, later illuminating you in the color before you felt your body become like paper; feeling weightless. Your body then lightly hovers off the ground, though only about an inch up, then everything flashes in a bright white. Shortly, you're met with Gearlock's tiresome face again, the aura around her horn dissipating shortly as you felt all your movements and senses return. You wouldn't say you're not used to teleporting, yet you're not to fawned of the it when it feels as though you've entered a "subconscious tank" and just stepped out of it.

You give your limbs a good shake, getting some stretching done with your hooves to get the nerves working again. "Alright. Good one. Now, all we have to do is make it in to find that mirror." You trotted to the golden twins in your way, which, when closely inspected, could see their crystal integrity glisten at you from the shine of the moon's faint lighting. Just like the main entrance beneath you, you gave these handles a shake, finding the same results; no surprise. Gearlock can already guess that when staring at your hunched backside.

You gave an annoyed grunt at this, seeing that they wouldn't budge at all.

"There, ya see? It's locked. There's no way we're going to find that portal when we're shut from the outside. Oh well, too bad, so sad-Let's go home, Z." Gearlock said, sarcasm obviously in her tone as she tried to fake a "defeated" trot back to the edge of the balcony, expecting to hear your hoof-falls behind her. Yet, she heard nothing.

"Now hold on, Gear. I'm not giving up when I hadn't done..much yet. Just you watch." you turned back to the handle again, leaning your head closer, inspecting it's corners and edges, even with the help of your implant.

"It's locked, Z3R0. How're we going to get..in..without...Uh, what the heck are you doing?" the unicorn raises an eyebrow when seeing you move your good eye closer to the door's keyhole, piratically fitting it inside it snugly. Yet you craned it back before any harm could befall it.

"Like I told you, Gear, I ain't giving in. I got the perfect 'key' for this here keyhole"

"Oh? And prey-tell, where is it? Did you make it out of one of your B0T's? Will it just blow up the door?"

"Funny. But, no. With-this!" you tapped the tip of your hoof to the side of your implant, feeling it's iris shift slowly and shortly. It flattens itself out to a thin rectangle shape, rotating to stand upwards as the eye slowly extends forwards a few centimeters. Returning your head in front of the keyhole, you now placed your bionic eye first, having the changed-iris stare at the hole this time. And after at least a minute or two, a light beams from the iris, glowing in a crimson red, just like your vision through it, as it passes trough the locks and tumbles with ease. Gearlock then sees smoke slowly rise from it, becoming darker and darker with each passing second. This made the unicorn perplexed at the sight, yet the sound of snapping broke that confusion shortly.

The giant doors slowly ajar, smoke still trailing from the keyhole, now having a burnt aftermath around it, which the crust forms quite quickly. Gearlock stared at the broken lock with a puzzled stare, wondering what you've done to 'break' the doors open, even with your technology.

"How...How..."

"I told you I got this under control, and I told you I wasn't going to give up"

"But..the lock.."

"It's a little insurance policy I've been saving for this such an occasion. Too bad I wont be able to use it again considering it's recharging takes about 24 hours to restart. Plus, it's temporary in-use for about 10 seconds only. It's all I can work with now."

"But...You know what-Whatever. Let's just go anyways. I mean, why not, hm? It's not like this story's plot is going anywhere and we're just the 'side characters' helping it get to that "good point". No, no, we're really making it 'story wise' without revealing more background on us, or-I don't know-make this chapter into something else that actually commemorates SLICE OF LIFE!"

"Geez, you're such a downer, aren't you?"

Once again, Gear felt the twitch return to her eyes again, eventually letting out a sigh, trotting past you and into the open doorway. "Just..Just shut it and come on"

Seeing no point to object, you followed behind the unicorn. As you two stepped inside, you were at awe once seeing the castle's insides, surprisingly much bigger then what you'd imagine when arriving. You two passed more doorways similar to the one you've broken into, all shimmering the same crystal illumination while posing your reflections as you passed by every one. Yet you could see that the crystal itself is see-through, and you can look into every room to see what they really are then taking guesses.

Down the hallway you've only managed to pass a library, another library, library, library, conference room, library, library, library, and the bathroom.

"Oh my Celestia, how many libraries does the Princess need? It's like walking through a giant book store."

"Well you did mention it was Twilight Sparkle. And knowing about her interests, now that she's the 'Princess of Friendship', you wouldn't be surprised if her entire castle isn't filled to-the-brim with books. She's obviously a book-worm at best, yet this is a whole new level for her."

"Heh, got that right. But does she live alone or with other ponies?"

"Why are you asking-Z, she obviously lives with her pet dragon, Spike, and owl, Owlicious, who else would she live with? Why did you even asked when you knew the answer?"

To explain why, you pointed a hoof in the direction of another door, yet this one isn't crystal see-through, but contained a symbol of two aquamarine swirls, almost resembling toothpaste "squirts", and a purple star with a white one behind it.

This made you tilt your head in question and thought, wondering what could it be; or, as a matter of fact, who's cutie mark that is. Because, and you couldn't catch it, you'd suspect it to be somepony else's when you always find the Princess' one around the pathway you and Gear trotted down when entering, yet this one's is sticking out like a sore thumb. And looking all too familiar.

"I don't believe it." Gear murmured, eyes fixed to the mark on the wall, "This is Starlight Glimmer's cutie mark"

"W-wait, what? You mean THE Starlight Glimmer? The Starlight Glimmer that nearly turned Equestria's timeline's into a heap of despair, chaos, and mayhem? THAT Starlight Glimmer?!"

"Don't act so surprised, you dork. Of course it is. Yet I wonder what she is doing her at the Princess' castle, and living with her too for that matter."

"I don't think it's best to wake her up and ask. Let's just try to find the portal before she hears us."

Making each of your hoof-falls more quiet then the last, the two of you tip-toed yourself's away from the room until you're clear enough your out of sight and earshot.

You let out a sigh, while sweeping your forehead to wipe off any nervous sweat building up. "Thank goodness she wasn't up at all, otherwise we could've been done for."

"I don't think that's the least of your worries, Z."

"Why do you say that?"

Gear points a hoof to the multiple doorways ahead of you two. Just like the one with Starlight's mark, these doors contain other cutie marks plastered upon their surfaces too. But when looking closely at them, the familiar "ting" rings in your mind when identifying them; they're the Element's cutie marks.

"Oh, shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Now the whole crew is here?!" you whispered-yelled, trying to keep your cool as to not wake anypony up with your disturbance, "This is going to make things more worse!"

"No, that is." the unicorn then gestures to the growing shadow coming from the end of the hallway, heavy hoof-falls following shortly; sounding like heavy metal being lifted and dropped repeatedly.

"Oh, sweet Celestia! Come on!" you grabbed Gear's hoof, making a beeline to another hallway corridor behind you two, thankfully to your right just a couple of paces upwards. You tried to keep your steps quiet as a mice, even if you're frantically running through a giant, "empty" castle; which, in your ears, sounded a bit louder with the echoing helping. Another shadow of another guard then comes into view, coming from the next turn you and Gear abruptly stop at, only watching as it became larger and larger, closing in on you two. Seeing as there is no hiding spot to evade the guard, you decided to place yourself firmly against the wall, still holding the unicorn's hoof so she may do the same. Holding your breath, you try to hold in the air in your lungs, including scrunching up your internal organs so you may "blend-in" with the shadows, thankfully, with the wall's wide length, you're able to with ease.

The guardpony then rears the corner, moving down the hall you and Gear were recently at, unaware of the three eyes staring at him as he passes by. He then stops shortly, raising a brow after believing of seeing something "colorful" behind him just now. He quickly turns his head back to see-nothing then the empty hallway, no signs of any misplacement worth questioning anywhere. Just the regular hallway as it is.

He shrugs and decides to move-on down the hall, taking the next corner and disappearing shortly. Seeing that he was finally gone, you opened both your eyes and mouth with a gasp, letting the sweet oxygen return back to your lungs, refilling your system again. You wheezed and coughed afterwards, yet you try to keep quiet so you don't attract the guard back again.

"Whew, I think he's gone" you said, placing a hoof on your chest to maintain it from caving-in from that "close call", mixed with the lingering-anxiety of being caught so soon.

"Yeah, you wouldn't expect  this to be a cake-walk, did you, Z? Oh no, no, no, it'd be much easy to BREAK INTO the PRINCESS' castle to find some 'MAGICAL MIRROR' where, of course, it wouldn't be GUARDED by GUARDPONIES from INTRUDERS LIKE US. Oh, oh yeah, and did I forget to mention the fact of the entire gang being here alongside Starlight Glimmer to lend a hoof, did I?"

"Man, Gear. What's up with you tonight? This is really unlike you."

The unicorn let out a sigh, recomposing her breathing with smaller ones before she spoke up again. "Look, I'm really sorry, Z. I really am, but I'm just trying to tell you that this whole charade is completely nuts. Considering for the fact that we've got information about this 'portal' out-of-the-blue when we were in the forest talking about machines! Machines, Z! Machines! This is just a boring straightforward thing to even GO THROUGH WITH when you don't know if it all could be a one giant lie, yet here you are now, going with it like a gullible dork."

"But it's coming from her CLOSE friends, Gear. Especially Applejack, and that pony tends to be honest with every word she says, and not a lie would be said without the truth following afterwards; it's her bad habit! Besides, I'm tired of the same old, same old manure that brought us nothing but grief and frustration."

"What're you talking about? I'm perfectly fine with my everyday life, you're just the one that's complaining and whining like a foal than just expecting the best like you'd always do, but when hearing about this 'new world' totally threw all that out the window. This isn't you, Z!"

She's right on every word; spot-on with no signs/clues of lying or 'stretching'. It's true you're taking this to a whole different level then you'd expect, really contradicting your old-self quite brutally, making you cringe internally for having to do that. Yet another part of you wanted to brush off that contradiction and focus on the task at hand. Your time in Equestria that causes you to become an eye-sore is no more; you've had enough to this point. You wanted to start a'new. You wanted to remake who you really were instead of a "mad pony". And you weren't going to turn-tail now.

"You're right, Gear. I am...yet..yet..."

"What?"

You released a pent-up sigh too, looking down at your coal hooves before looking back at the unicorn's golden eyes. "Yet..I want to finally show that I'm not just a failure, Gear."

"'Failure'? What're you talking about, Z? You're not a failure."

"Oh, don't play coy, Gear, you know I am!" You retorted, your tone now dipping in a spicy agitation, self loathing entering your brain's thinking-circulation, slowly coursing through your veins. "Ever since I've created my first B0T to present to Ponyville of it's talents, all it did instead was cause fear and mayhem then what I created it to do; and I'm it's creator, darn it! Every other one followed suit, making my reputation fall flat into nothing, shriveling up into dust and blown away!"

"Yeah, but now you've found the cause of it all and can prevent it from happening again next time. I don't see why you would think this could change anything then you doing that here, in Equestria!"

"That's because in this new world, nopony would know me from heart, understand my mistakes that nearly costed lives! Plus, the ponies around Ponyville, especially Mayor Mare, wouldn't listen to me whatsoever then shun me like the idiot I am!" You stomped a hoof to emphasize your growing anger, unaware that the echoing filled the empty hallway again. Gear looked behind herself and behind you, hoping that no guardpony overheard that.

"Keep it down, Z. Don't go alerting the guards already"

"Why bother, huh?! It's best I'm thrown in prison anyways for what I've nearly done to everypony here. I've made nothing but destruction instead of being the 'helping hoof', making me become the REAL problem then the actual one. I've let my anticipation for this ridiculous land turn me into a psychotic stallion, living alone around the Everfree forest!"

"You're not alone, Z3R0. I'd always come by to visit you everyday for the past 4 years, straight! I'm your best friend for Celestia's sake!" Now it's Gear's turn to become angered by your "whining", "I am and will always be your best friend, so don't go crying saying that you're 'alone', cause you and I know that's MANURE!" she then stomps her own hoof, deciding that she doesn't care if they get caught or not; she's starting to loose her patience.

"I know that! Yet I'm still labeled as a maniac by everypony in Equestria, and I'm tired of having that follow me everywhere I go! I..." you stopped yourself shortly, feeling the warm liquid slide down your muzzle and drip down on the crystal floor, slowly creating a puddle, where you can see your reflection through. Just like anything around this castle. You didn't realize you were starting to cry at all, the stream only coming down your good eye, your face scrunching up in a sad-angered grimace. You hate having to break down like this, it's humiliating, yet your mother always tell you that "crying helps let everything out", reassuring that it doesn't always show weakness but repressed feelings. And it's "unhealthy to keep inside", which is true.

You brought a hoof to your eye and quickly scrubbed the tears, and any pre-formed ones before they fall, keeping your angered glare at the puddle beneath you instead of at Gear. Who, at the sight, now gained a look of surprise, not one to usually see you cry, even when you two were young, yet this is a "first" to her.

"I want to actually become sompony...I wanna make myself into who I want then what I've became, Gear. This is becoming tiresome for Celestia's sake! I just.." You let your hoof drape over your muzzle, covering your good eye from looking at Gearlock's golden ones, now reverting into a softened look then her earlier glare. Your body shakes slightly as the water-works continue to slide down, making the pool grow larger and larger.

You suddenly feel something warm envelope your body, looking up to find Gearlock gently taking you in an embrace, having both her hooves gently lay on your back; one lightly caressing your mane, keeping it flat, slow, and nicely.

Silence filled the air again, later dissolving when Gear spoke up again, "You are somepony, Z3R0. You've made the best out of bio-mechanics then I've seen anypony do for my entire life. You've created machines that outdo anypony's own lame replica, ranking yours as the top winner; hands down. No matter if they combust in a ball of fire or not, it's integrity is still excellent as it is."

"B-but.."

"But, nothing. Look, at me, Z." she pulled away so she can stare at your wooden-colored orb and mechanical one with both her yellow ones, with honestly lingering within them; almost as if you're talking to Applejack, except with a WHOLE different makeover.

"Your my best friend ever since foalhood, and the ride to this point was exhilarating, I've always thought you'd have more in store to surprise me with, actually making the adventure you'd crave for be in your own hooves then somewhere else, Z3R0. And I'm the only audience that's been cheering it on from the beginning, and it's best to just have it like that then with anypony else. It's like I'm you and you're the mirror. And you wanna know why? Because I care about you so much, Z, and I hate to see you cave-in on for the fact of the mistakes you've done, but that doesn't make you any less than anypony around Equestria."

"But it's been constant..." you whisper lowly, keeping your eyes affixed down again, which Gear returned back to her eyes with a readjustment of both her jasmine hooves beside both sides of your head.

"That doesn't matter. You've shown to everypony the proportion they'd never realize coming from somepony who has a red '0' for a cuite mark involving mechanics; which, of course, makes NO sense. Yet it's something new and exhilarating they're expecting more of then you to just give it all up over a couple of 'hiccups'."

You had to hand that to the unicorn, it was a bit surprising, yes, yet your self-loathing derails that shortly. But Gear turns that around again when speaking up. "And every day afterwards, you've tried to fix those mishaps with some improvements which, at some points, work extraordinarily or fail miserably, but you're still putting your work into it then giving-in. Which I know the real Z3R0 would always do when it comes to machines. I'd expect the real Z3R0 to just get back up and keep doing what he loves, no matter what anypony may say about it, because it's coming from the 'real-you' then trying to make that all up with this 'new world'. This is your world here; your home. With me, Z. And I will be always beside you to reassure that you're never a failure to what you do best, yet a success for trying to make-big as you'd always dreamed of. And now you know the main cause for those 'hiccups'-you can change everything."

You felt her retake you back in her hooves, resuming to lightly caress your mane, "Everything..." she whispers lightly, making your body slowly take-in her embrace shortly, later having you return it; with a warm smile plastered on your face while the tears returned. Yet this time they're of happiness instead of self-loathing and regret.

A minute or two and you two part from the hug, staring at each other with big smiles adorning both your faces.

"So, what do you say we just go home, eh?" Gearlock extends an offering hoof, waiting for yours to touch it.

Giving a split-second of thinking, you sigh, looking back at Gear, your smile slowly disappearing; determination refilling your veins again.

"Thank you, Gearlock, but..I want to go to this new world"

"Z3R0, I told you-"

"NOT, for redemption, though." you interrupted her, raising a hoof and letting it fall afterwards, "I want to go so I can explore what it really is. Really see if it's the real deal after all. And if it's not, I'm pulling out and leaving immediately. Forgetting this entire thing as if it never happened. Letting life go as it is. Nothing more."

Seeing the determination return again, yet with a twist Gearlock cannot force you to change, she sighs again, her smile still firm and bright. "Alright, Z3R0. I..trust you. Don't go doing anything stupid you'd might regret, alright?"

"But didn't you say that about this entire thing though? Am I not just a hypocrite after-all, or clueless? Make up your mind already."

She chuckles at your little 'joke-turnabout', you following shortly, later having it die down; still trying to be cautious of the echoing hallway you two are still in.

"In that case, let's go find that portal."

You gave a confirming nod to her, trotting back down the hallway, turning the corner the guardpony first arrived around.

"Oh, and by the way," you spoke up, looking over at the unicorn with a raised brow, "How did you learn that teleportation spell anyways? I thought that was for high-ranking unicorns only? Sometimes alicorns."

"Well, you can thank Starlight for that"

This made your eye widen at that answer, "Starlight? Why?"

"She's the one who taught me the spell when we ran into each other one day after I tried buying some more supplies. She was kind enough to lend me some bits when I was short on some, really helping me on my latest design for the week. Then she saw how far my home was from the shop, and how I couldn't multitask when my dad needed some help on the clock tower at times, that's when she taught me the spell to make transportation more easy."

"Wow, awesome"

"I know, right? Now I can use it to get by anywhere without breaking a sweat. Plus, we can use it to grab some supplies for some of YOUR B0T's, give em' a couple of new styles, extra attachments, and so-on. WITH, the exception of that silicon that is."

"Alright. But how am I gonna power them without it? It's their only source of energy I possess, at the moment."

"You leave that to me, Z. When I was over by the scrapyard, I've managed to spot some leftover heaps of frozen yogurt machines lying around, almost shriveling up with rust, yet it still looks in good condition to take some chunks out of, maybe create some batteries out of them. Hey, you can try creating a fro-yo-B0T whenever anypony is hankering for some frozen yogurt."

"Hey, that does sound like a good idea, Gear. But, why are there dispensers lying in the scrapyard? Who's were they originally?"

"The owner said that the Cakes didn't need them anymore, on account of some 'technical difficulties'"

"That being...?"

"There was some cake batter clogging up one of the pipes, jamming the entire thing to fill itself up with fro-yo."

"Makes sense. Though, I wonder why were there cake batter clogging the pipes to begin with."

"Z, do you remember which Harmony Element lives with the Cakes? And I'l give you a hint, she's pink."

You gave a light chuckle at the unicorn's hint, already guessing the answer the moment "pink" was mentioned. "Oh, I'l save you the energy, Gear."

Gear let out a chuckle afterwards too.

You two turned another corner into another hallway corridor, this being similar to the one's you've trotted through. More golden gates beside you two, and the hallway being stretched afar again.

"So, which room do you think the mirror is in?" you asked, looking through every passing doorway, hoping to find said-gateway through the crystal-clear screens.

"If by any chance it could be around the 'main lobby', because I'm pretty sure we've been walking around in a giant circle."

"You noticed that too? I've been seeing the same library rooms for about 15 minutes now."

"My guess is that they're ALL libraries; except the bathroom."

"Right. Yeah-I guess you're right. We should try to find the main lobby around here. Hopefully it's not too far, right?"

"I don't think so."

The unicorn gestures her answer with another point of her hoof. One of the twin doors is opened slightly ajar, creaking to let you two peak in what's inside. The room held a large, circular table, the chairs around it being towering giant, all with the same cutie marks embedded in them that were last seen on the room doors you and Gear passed; obviously the Element's marks.

"I wonder what this room is for?" you asked, trotting slowly inside, looking around at the vast emptiness the room held, seeing dozens and dozens of scrolls stacked neatly atop a high shelf above you and Gear's heads. Possibly all containing letters issued to Princess Celestia, considering they all have the red and golden ribbon tied around them; signifying the royal colors.

"Could be the consul room for the Elements to round up and discuss some important matters. Maybe even friendship problems, I mean, they ARE the wielders for a reason, after-all."

"Probably" you let a hoof touch the marble texture of the table, letting it slide left and right, feeling the material as if it's a waxed, hardwood floor. Polished and clean. It felt nice.

"Alright, so the thing's not in here, might as well try looking somewhere else." Gear stated.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's try another room." But before you turn back to leave the room, Gearlock stops you in your tracks with an outstretched hoof blocking you.

"But before we keep looking, answer me this, Z. How were you so sure that it'd be located in here to begin with? And how didn't you know it could've been around in-I don't know-Celestia and Luna's old castle within the Everfree forest?"

"Here's why, Gear. One: I got some prime information from a "reliable" source into knowing it's location. Two: Even though it would make sense for something as 'unrealistic' as this to be inside one of Equestria's deadliest forests, I'm sure Princess Twilight would reconsider leaving it for just ANYPONY to get there hands on it, evil or not, when she's been welcomed to a new treacherous world nopony ever knew existed. Plus, she didn't want anypony else to be endangered too. And, after Princess Cadance took over her role in Canterlot, where it originally was located, she relocated it into Princess Twilight's possession this time."

"Alright, alright, I gotcha. But..wait-What 'reliable source' told you about it being here?"

"Pinkie Pie" was all you can answer the unicorn with a straightforward response, "When I was down by Sugarcube Corner on one of my 'off-days', I overheard her rambling about something 'magically amazing mirror' hidden inside Princess Twilight's Castle of Friendship she couldn't keep a lid shut about. Originally, I thought it was just Pinkie pie just being..Pinkie pie, but when Rainbow Dash mentioned something about a 'portal'-through my interpretation-and the Princess being the first to enter through, that's when the puzzle pieces started to come together."

Hearing this, Gearlock gave a shake of her head, "Of course. That pony wouldn't keep a secret even if her life depended on it. She just HAVES to tell somepony by then."

"Heh. Right. Not even if it's a 'Pinkie promise'."

"No, those she keeps her WORD to absolutely. Not making a single peep whatsoever."

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that."

"But, and one more thing-How are you so sure that the gate wouldn't be closed at this moment? I mean, something such as an inter-dimensional portal cant just stay open for forever, it's just illogical."

"Oh, but that's just it, Gear, it isn't sealed for long."

"What makes you say that?"

"From Pinkie, I also heard that the Princess can control the portal's opening's by the use of some book she possess to do-so, making it more dependable then waiting for another thirty moons for it to reopen. And frankly, it's lucky for her, and us, since waiting THAT long would have everypony in their late forties by then."

"I would believe to say you're already an old pony, Z."

"How so?"

"Well, you're always cranky and whiny whenever you're awake or asleep, and you sound like you have SOME wisdom in that coconut-head of yours when I bet the rest is just empty space."

You rolled your eyes before giving the unicorn a light shove to the side with a grin on your face as she let out a humorous chuckle at that.

"Funny, you're such a comedian, Gear."

"Hey, hey, I'm here all week, ya know?"

"Pfft, not for long you will. Let's keep on searching before sunrise."

Gearlock nodded before the two of you exited the room, returning back into the maze-like hallway. Continuing to trot down through the same set of corridors to find the same thing, over and over: Libraries, libraries, and more LIBRARIES!

"We've looked through NEARLY about every room in this castle and not ONE had the darn thing in it." Gearlock said, groaning in impatience, "Maybe the Princess hid it somewhere 'secure'?"

"Maybe, Gear. Yet I doubt it wouldn't turn up soon enough. If we've managed to look through EVERY square inch of this place, I'm sure it'll show up eventually. We just gotta keep a sharp eye out." you emphasized your point by tapping your metallic eye, to which Gearlock responds with an eye roll.

"Well, you get my point."

"Uh-huh"

You then resumed your search, looking around closely if anything would reveal it's location sooner then never. Yet a lingering thought brings itself up shortly, making you voice it out afterwards.

"You know, I wonder if there is ANY other guardponies out on patrol then the two we've nearly evaded."

"This is the Princess of Friendship, Z, I'm guessing they'd keep their eyes open in large numbers about every night. Those two was just a drop-in-the-bucket, there's bound to be more around."

"How so-"

"Hey!" shouted a gruff voice located behind you two, cutting you off and making you jump in surprise. You both turned to find a guardpony levitating a, half bitten, sandwich in his magic before he caught eye of you two just now. "Who are you two, and what're you doing here?!"

"Oh, I see..."

"Halt and do not move an inch! Otherwise you'd be trailed for trespassing on behalf of the Princess of Friendship!"

"Yeesh, now that doesn't sound friendly.." you coughed into your hoof after that remark, raising your voice so the guard may hear you, "Right, well, we'd love to do that bud, but we have other plans to attend to-GEARLET'SBOLT!" You quickly dashed to the opposite direction of the guard, Gear following shortly with some tumbling steps.

"Stop! Immediately!" The sound of heavy hoof-falls catches your ears, knowing that he's gunning on your tails, trying to increase his speed with every other second.

As you two dash down the hallway, a split set of corridors approaches you two, causing you to panic at the unfortunate circumstance, deciding which way to take. Your mind thought otherwise.

"Quick, split-up!" you exclaim, taking the right corner, trotting at your full speed to evade the on-coming guard.

"Wait, what?! Z!" without any choice, Gearlock, not wanting to get captured and be punished at the mercy of the Princess, took initiative and ventured to the left corner.

Seeing this, the guard stopped at the intersection and looked at both directions, debating on who to peruse first. Finalizing on Gearlock's direction, he goes after her.

You begin to pant when feeling your hooves tire at the excessive running. Hopefully you're able to find the darn mirror at this rate before you pass out from exhaustion. Looking back, you'd anticipate that the guard didn't pick you to chase after, allowing you the chance to relax and catch your breathing. You leaned on one of the many doorways, panting with a slumped form, trying to get as much air back in your lungs as possible, again.

"Man..Oh sweet Celestia...I can't breathe.." as soon as you felt the succulent oxygen returning to your system once more, you maintained your balance while trying to get back on all four of your hooves. "Man, that was TOO close. Shot." you looked around you, hoping to find a certain purple unicorn beside you, but found nothing, to your avail. You looked back where you once ran to, believing that Gearlock had actually taken the other way than you anticipated.

But what can you say? She isn't dense when being chased by ONE guardpony, and you did say "split up!"

You sigh as you placed your full weight on the door with your back, trying to collect your thoughts on what to do now, or explain to the Princess on why you broke into her castle when she hears this. It's inevitable.

But the door suddenly gives away, opening completely as you fall back with a yelp. You quickly try to catch something to prevent from falling but unfortunately failed and landed at your side, groaning quietly at the mild-impact and pain that shot through you; and your rib cage.

"Ow.." rubbing your aching side, you got back up on your hooves to find yourself stumbled within, what seems to be, another library. Books, surprisingly categorized and arranged by alphabet, line up the shelf's around you, circular tables surrounds you, nothing surprising.

Yet the only difference was a large tarp sheet lying in the corner, covering something big underneath it. Closing-in with your bionic eye you can see some openings from underneath it, gold and plywood is all you can see from your position, including some wires sticking around them. You then also catch an open book lying on a table beside you, which, when trotting over to it, you find a finished letter scribbled inside it, possibly from Princess Twilight.

Considering her signature is signed at the bottom left of the page, of course.

'Dear, Sunset Shimmer,

Is everything going okay after the 'games'? Is the other 'me' doing well? Hopefully so, I can tell that, in your guy's hands, she's alright. Better, even. I cannot thank you enough for helping out in that dire situation, who knew what could've happened if she came into Equestria with all that magic. Could've been catastrophic for even me, the others, Celestia, and Luna to handle all at once. It's like King Sombra, Disocrd, or Queen Chrysalis all over again. But, you know, things like this is always a "usual", even in different worlds. It's a living we both share now.

I hope you do well, even now that you've decided to stay there from now on. I honestly will miss you, Sunset, you've proven so much from your time there I can't say I'm not impressed with how you've changed quickly and positively too. I just hope you will do better and take care of the your friends there like I do with mine here. I mean, it's like we're mirrored, you and I.

Anyways, I have to get going before Celestia messages me again about something important.

Hopeful wishes,

**Princess* Twilight Sparkle'*

You try to process everything into your mind while rereading every word, wondering what these "games" were? Or what happened over there to reenact some creature as malicious as those three?

And who this 'Sunset Shimmer' is? What relationship does she have with the Princess that you weren't aware about? You never even knew her up to this point, and it sounded like she used to live..in..Equestria...

You looked back at the covered item with a quizzical stare. Curiosity slowly taking control, making you trot over to it and gently tugged the giant tarp off, revealing it's hidden content.

A large contraption surrounding a mirror in it's center, with multiple tubes, two pumps on opposite sides, and a giant gold horseshoe, hovering the mirror while being supported from the back. And just like that, the mirror itself shapes in a horseshoe too, making you tilt your head at the sight. Atop the shrine showed a picture of a galloping mare, standing on her hind-legs; her silhouette only showing.

You moved closer to the mirror until facing it, gently placing a hoof on it's surface to feel the glass panel. But what you didn't expect was a light pink/purple spark tickle your hoof, changing it's reflection to a limb you've NEVER, EVER seen around Equestria, EVER. Looks just like a small octopus, yet this one has about 5 arms instead of 8.

The realization then dawns upon you.

You've finally found it.

The 'portal' you've heard much about over the past month-and yesterday.

The Crystal Mirror stands before you.