First Encounter: The Mare and the Mirror
Twists and turns were the best way to describe Starlight Glimmer's complicated life. Whether it was starting a cult based on equality, learning the magic of friendship from a former foe, and so on, there was no telling where she'd end up. Surprises were almost like the norm. And for some reason, Starlight couldn't shake the feeling that today also had a surprise in store for her. There was just one tiny problem she had to deal with first.
No matter how many times Starlight Glimmer meandered about Twilight's castle, it more often than not felt like traversing a maze. She wasn't even sure how she found the Cutie Map on her first visit without trouble, but when it came to finding a specific room, it was always either a bedroom or the broom closet. It eventually reached a point where Starlight instinctively shielded her forehead whenever she saw a broom.
Luckily, finding the castle's library was no longer a challenge, Starlight frequently borrowing books for her own amusement. Downstairs and into the first door on the left, that was where she'd find an open room with a plethora of books. And sure enough, Starlight found herself just outside where the library was after following those instructions, though the marked door was closed for some reason. It was usually open unless it was nighttime or Twilight hadn't woken up yet; neither of which were the case.
Starlight took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders. "I've dealt with stranger things before," she reminded herself. Indeed, nothing could outdo the strangeness of traveling through time and witnessing the possible consequences of her actions. It was something she had no qualms sharing with her closest friends, though admitting what exactly happened to others wasn't always easy. Her first encounter with Trixie and reunion with Sunburst were the exceptions to the rule. Most of the other ponies she made friends with only knew that she was wicked in the past.
"Twilight won't mind if I take a peek," Starlight continued. Standing as tall as she could, she then approached the door and placed a hoof on it. The surface was warmer than she recalled, albeit just as smooth as usual. And for some reason, an unfamiliar voice reached her ears. "I guess Twilight's busy with something again." She played with a strand of her mane. "May as well ask if I can join her."
Starlight wasted no time in pushing the door open, creaks reaching her ears as she stepped into the library. It was as stunning as ever, the floor sparkling like a gemstone. Bookshelves wrapped around the perimeter of the room, a few additional shelves standing in the room's center. Also residing in the middle of the room were some chairs and a table, the latter featuring a slightly damaged sculpture atop it. Everything was as Starlight remembered—everything except for one small detail.
Holding her breath, Starlight's eyes swiveled to the right. Pressing her weight against one of the bookshelves and reading something was a unicorn, her red and yellow mane looking much like an inferno. Even her eyes exuded power, Starlight's throat tightening a little in response. Yet at the same time, there was something welcoming about the mare that Starlight couldn't explain. And why was somepony she never saw before perusing through the library so casually?
Something was going on; Starlight needed to remain as calm as possible.
"Who the heck are you?" Starlight shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Are you one of Princess Twilight's friends?" The mare jolted up, eyes widening in an instant as she dropped the book. A loud thud echoed throughout the room. "How did you even get inside? The door is locked and there's no window to climb through!"
The mare stuttered a bit, eventually taking a deep breath and calming herself down. "Twilight's my friend, too," the mare muttered. "She said that I was free to look through the library at my own leisure." She then trotted up to Starlight until they were inches apart. The mare gently touched Starlight's chest, though her brow sagged. "Sorry for surprising you, but I'm guessing she never told you about the mirror."
"What mirror?" Starlight cocked her head, assuming a perplexed visage. "You mean that large mirror with all of the bits sticking out of it? I thought it was just some old relic she wanted to study. Either that or she got it from Rarity." Starlight stepped back, feeling as though she could breathe freely again. "But enough about mirrors. Just who are you, anyway?"
"I'm Sunset Shimmer," the mare answered, placing a hoof to her chest. "Former student of Princess Celestia, now a student at Canterlot High." She paused, then donned a sheepish grin and chuckled. "Okay, the last part probably doesn't make sense to you yet. I've been somewhere else for a while now. Kind of forgot a few things about here."
There was something peculiar about Sunset that tickled Starlight's coat. The lack of an institution called Canterlot High captured her attention as well. Having trotted about the famous city plenty of times before, she would've known if there was a Canterlot High. Perhaps she meant something else, but her choice of words wouldn't have made sense if that was the case.
"Sunset, I have a question," Starlight said, swinging her tail back and forth. "When you say that you're a former student of Celestia's, how come Twilight has never mentioned you whenever she's studying something? I think she mentioned you once, but—" she raised her head and looked up at the ceiling "—but it was just about how I reminded her of you."
"How so?"
Starlight rubbed the back of her neck, cheeks flushed. "Well, I think it might've been because I did something—you know—awful." She chuckled nervously, eyes shifting from left to right before focusing on Sunset again. Starlight then grabbed Sunset's hoof. "But it's nothing important. I learned my lesson, and that's what matters."
Sunset cracked the faintest of smirks, an odd reaction no matter how Starlight interpreted it. "I guess we do have a few things in common. And here I thought I was the only one who went through something like that." Her smirk vanished as if it never existed, Sunset nudging toward Starlight. "I've met others who have made mistakes, but I sometimes feel like I'm the only pony who did some terrible things willingly."
"Other ponies have made terrible decisions before, and what you did couldn't have been that bad." Starlight arched an eyebrow. "Come on, what was the problem?"
Sunset took a deep breath. Her cheeks suddenly became pale. "I was craving power for the longest time. Eventually, I put on this magical crown and became a raging demon." She pursed her lips, then wiped her forehead. "Twilight stopped me and returned things to normal. She then taught me about friendship, but it was tough afterwards. It was a nightmare, something I couldn't let go of for months."
Blinking, Starlight's jaw dropped ever so slightly. "Oh, I wasn't expecting that," she confessed. "But at least you learned an important lesson. Speaking of which, how come I never heard of a raging demon before? I mean, I knew about the stuff King Sombra and Discord did, but surely I would've noticed a demon causing trouble, right?" She lifted a hoof up, giving Sunset a fake smile. "So what happened?"
"Well, I should first mention how the mirror works." Sunset rolled her shoulders, standing as tall as she could. "By going through it while it's active, you'll end up in an alternate world."
Starlight froze in place. "Excuse me?" She rubbed her head, thinking about the mirror and what Sunset told her minutes ago. All of a sudden, her eyes lit up. That mirror Twilight had wasn't for fashion, but rather the gateway to an alternate world. No wonder she rarely brought it out, not to mention the mirror's supposed lack of a reflection. "Hold on, I think I get it now."
Nodding, Sunset cracked a smile once more. "Looks like I won't have to explain." Using her magic, she picked up the book she dropped earlier, bookmarking it and placing it on the nearby table. "Long story short, I learned a valuable lesson. I'm assuming you've learned a few things as well." Pausing, Sunset then focused on Starlight's horn, followed by her cutie mark. Her smile became brighter than ever. "By the way, are you also talented at magic?"
Starlight blushed, crossing her forelegs and gently waving a hoof. "I guess so." She chuckled for a few seconds. "Sure, I can rewrite spells and master them with enough practice, but there's no way I'm as talented as Twilight." With a slight chuckle, Starlight made her way to one of the chairs. She pressed her hooves against the chair's cushions, the material soft and warm to the touch. "Are you as talented as she is?"
"Hard to say." Sunset approached the other chair, then sat down. "I've mastered a number of spells, even created a few of my own."
"That reminds me, how come you chose now of all days to visit?" Starlight pressed a hoof against her cheek. "Anything you wanted to ask Twilight?"
"Well, I wanted to discuss something with her in private." Sunset pressed her hooves together. Her cheeks tautened. "It's because—"
"Starlight, is that you?" Twilight's voice called out.
Both Starlight and Sunset perked up, their heads turning to face the doorway. Making her way into the library was none other than Twilight Sparkle, her wings twitching a little as she wore a curious expression. Standing right behind her was Spike, the small dragon rubbing his chin and surveying the rooms. Twilight and Spike then stared directly at the two mares, their expressions brightening without warning.
"Sunset Shimmer!" Twilight blurted out, her tone cheerful. She hopped over to the mare and stretched a foreleg out, both of them then shaking hooves. "It's so nice to see you!" Twilight then shook Starlight's hoof, the up-and-down motion smoother than usual. "I'm guessing you've met Starlight Glimmer, right?"
"Well, met is one way of looking at it," Starlight said. She chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "It was more me freaking out that somepony I didn't recognize was in the library, which then led to a chat." She stepped away from the nearby chair and approached Twilight. "But yes, Sunset and I are acquaintances now."
"You do remember how I told you about Sunset, right?" Twilight raised an eyebrow while Starlight merely blushed in response. "I said that there might be a visitor in the library on occasion so you wouldn't worry." Pausing, she then stretched a foreleg out and sighed. "Okay, so maybe I said that two months ago, but try to not make too much noise next time."
"No promises." Starlight snickered, Sunset and Spike both following suit.
Twilight turned back to Sunset. "So what brings you down here?" In a flash, Twilight willed Sunset's book closer to her via magic. She examined the cover, Starlight noticing the words Fauna of the Everfree Forest printed on the spine. After a few seconds, Twilight brought the book back to where it was. "Curious about wildlife, huh? Did you enjoy the camp?"
Sunset shook her head without hesitating. "While it feels cool after the fact, it wears on you real quick. Everything smells like Rainbow Dash's cooking, and there was some spirit of the forest that caused things to go haywire. At least there were a few highlights in between that stuff."
"Camping isn't that bad," Starlight added. "Well, the time I spent with Applejack and Fluttershy was fun." She suddenly shivered as if the room became cold; a thought reached the tip of her mind. "Hold on, you've met Rainbow Dash before? I should've met you by now if that was true!"
Sunset shrugged. "It's a long story."
"She's not lying," Twilight added, nodding. "But let me try summing it up as best I can." Taking a deep breath, chest puffed out, Twilight stretched her wings out. "See, there's another world behind that mirror, but the residents of that world are near-perfect copies of the ponies we spend time with each day. Behind that mirror, there's another Rainbow Dash, another Rarity, and probably another you if you knew where to look!"
Starlight rubbed her forehead, muzzle scrunched. "Okay, that makes time travel sound straightforward."
"Uh, nothing makes that sound simple," said Spike. He walked closer to the table, resting his elbow on it and cracking a slight smirk. Spike then gazed directly into Sunset's eyes. "And before you ask, Starlight does know a thing or two about time travel. She even used it to—"
"I think that's a story for another time!" Starlight blurted out. Ruffling her brow, she glared at the tiny dragon, the latter merely blushing and giggling in response. Starlight then assumed a happier expression once more, bringing her attention back to Sunset. "As I was saying, how come you ended up in a different dimension from ours?" She leaned closer to Sunset until their faces were inches apart. "And what makes that one so different?"
"I'd rather not talk about the first part," said Sunset, shyly crossing her forelegs. She feigned a smile. "However, I don't mind talking about the world behind that mirror." Turning around, Sunset lifted a hoof and pointed at where the mirror resided. It always seemed smaller than it was from a distance, though the machinery clamping it in place might've been the reason for that. "The mirror isn't always working, though it can be forced open with powerful magic."
"Why wouldn't it always be open?" Starlight gave Sunset a quizzical expression. "Seems kind of impractical to me."
"That's just how the mirror works." Sunset shrugged, then turned to face Twilight. "Have you figured out why?"
Twilight shook her head. "Your guess is as good as mine," she said. "Since I can now use it whenever I want, I haven't bothered looking into why it's only active part of the time." She tapped her hoof against the floor. "My guess would be that it's because of its design, though don't quote me on that."
"So what's behind this amazing mirror?" Starlight continued, raising a foreleg and bending it slightly.
"This is where things get hard to explain," said Sunset. She took a deep breath, then twiddled her mane. "What happens after passing through the mirror is that you transform! You change shape, get new clothes, and so much more!" Her smile brightened a tad. "But it does take time getting used to the new form. And then there's how everything looks so much different over there. The way we go from place to place is radically different, too."
"Is that so?" Starlight closed her eyes, trying to imagine the world Sunset briefly described, yet nothing felt like a perfect match. Maybe visiting that world behind the mirror was something to do for later. And as Starlight opened her eyes, she nodded, a grin adorning her face. "Sounds like quite the place."
"You can't really describe it well." Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. "It's so different that experiencing it yourself is the only way to know what it's like." She paused briefly, shoulders raised. "To be honest, it has its perks, though you do start to miss Equestria after a while. School can be tiresome, you know."
Without warning, Twilight's eyes widened. She stood up as tall as she could. "That gives me an idea," she said. "Sunset, how about we all go on a tour of Ponyville together? Starlight's done it before, and I don't think you've been around town yet. Plus, I bet Starlight would love to know more about you!"
Starlight nodded; any chance to know more about Sunset was fine by her. "We can focus on some of the most important places," she added. "Maybe we can formally introduce you to our closest friends—" she tilted her head a little —though some of them might be familiar."
"Well, I already have an idea of who Twilight's friends are," said Sunset. She then bobbed her head. "I'd still love to meet their Equestrian counterparts, however. I don't think I've done that yet." She paused, looking back at Spike and spotting him tapping the table's surface, being careful not to scratch it. "Want to join us, Spike?"
Spike nodded, grinning. "Sounds like a plan to me!" he shouted, jogging back over to the rest of the group. All of a sudden, a grumbling noise echoed in the room, Spike rubbing his belly and blushing. "But first, I gotta get some grub. It's been hours since I last had something to eat."
"Anypony want some tea before we leave?" asked Twilight. She licked her lips and then snickered. Her wings shook a little. "I have plenty of different types, and I even have some biscuits to go along with them." Smiling, she trotted back to the doorway, motioning a hoof to Sunset and Starlight.
Starlight glanced over to Sunset and nodded, the latter responding in kind. "We'll have some tea," Starlight said, catching up to Twilight. Sunset followed close behind. "Do you have anything that doesn't have too strong of a flavor? I'd rather have something smooth that doesn't burn my tongue."
"Looks like we have even more in common than we thought," Sunset teased, playfully nudging Starlight's shoulder.
Twilight clapped her hooves together, her smile brightening. "Perfect! I know just what to get!"
As the group made their way out of the library and up the stairs, Starlight couldn't help herself from glancing at Sunset from time to time. Having some tea with her before heading out also provided her an opportunity; there was a chance Starlight could've learned even more about Sunset, and anything that might've intrigued her was something worth exploring. The problem, however, was knowing what to ask. Prying details about Sunset's past might've been possible, but Starlight knew she'd probably have to share her own story in order to make things even. The thought of immediately mentioning the specifics of her past churned her stomach.
Wherever the upcoming conversation went, Starlight hoped that it'd all work out in the end, even if she learned nothing new about Sunset.
