Shattered Equestria

Jagged Reflections

By

TheSleeplessOne

This story has been proofread and edited by Icarus720. A big thanks to him! Any additional errors should be pointed out in the comments section.

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Chapter 1 - The Broken Mirror

"How could this have happened?" Celestia sighed, twisting her head towards the broken mirror.

The once vibrant frame, which was once a combination of blue and purple, was now a time-worn, faded color of grey. Cracks ran up and down its horseshoe shape. The blue horseshoes once adorning the mirror now lay strewn about like a filly’s playthings. Curiously, a single shard of glass stayed anchored inside the frame. Stranger still, the rest of the glass was missing. Eleven empty sockets, the once home of the powerful magic rubies, reflected only a dull light. The beautiful swirling arches surrounding the mirror were little more than melted slags of metal.

Luna inspected one of the horseshoes on the floor. “We thought this was Twilight's way to reach her other friends,” she said with a hint of confusion. “We can simply rebuild it, can we not?"

"I am afraid we cannot," Celestia told Luna, regret heavy in her voice. "There is more to this device than I have told Twilight."

“We know Star-Swirl and thou crafted this mirror after our banishment," Luna said. She shivered as the final word left her mouth. "Although we cannot fathom what use thou had for the universe that Twilight visited."

Celestia trotted over to the sun-filled window and took in the beautiful city of Canterlot, "You've yet to ask me the true question. What could cause this level of damage to something that Star-Swirl created? I know of nothing in Equestria capable of inflicting this kind of damage to one of his magical artifacts."

“We created nothing with Star-Swirl, Sister. We cannot fathom how powerful an artifact the two of thee could have created," Luna gave her sister a grim smile. “We can guess that even Nightmare Moon would have had difficulty."

"More than you know," Celestia replied, another sigh escaping her lips as her body slumped onto the edge of the window. "Can you understand how lonely I was when I sent you to the moon? We were once students of Star-Swirl and a student I became again. I invested myself in his work. My mind could not wander to you as long as I kept it occupied."

Luna stared at her sister and her mind drifted back to the past. A shudder ran down her spine as she once again imagined a thousand years apart from Celestia. She couldn't keep her cheek free of the sudden sadness, her emotion overpowering her stoic demeanor. The memory of those events brought loneliness slamming back into her.

“We do not... recall the entirety of our stay upon the moon. We were so angry in the beginning, we cared not for the passage of time... nor thou. In time we even forgave thee and thought of ways to reconcile with you. Yet, in the end, we succumbed to our desire for revenge. We understand sister, our suffering was not like thine, but suffer we did. By the end of our stay, we invested our-self in the wish for retribution. We did not want to remember." Memories replaced her vision, gazing into the past and breath shaking with each intake. She struggled with the old feelings that bubbled to the surface.

Celestia rose from the window ledge and trotted to her sister, embracing her in a deep hug, "Then you know what it is like... We created that mirror to traverse into other worlds. It was easy to forget what I had done when we explored them together. Twilight would have loved to have studied those worlds." Celestia mood brightened at the thoughts of Twilight studying late into the night. She often fell asleep at her desk using a book as a pillow.

Luna's eyes closed in deep thought. “We understand why you would want this, dear sister, but why did Star-Swirl?"

Celestia looked away releasing her hug and replied. "I still do not quite know. He became more and more frenzied in his studies of time and space as he aged. He cared only for the information we found in those worlds. I believe he wanted a lifespan of our length. But he... he... couldn't make the transition to an alicorn.“

"What happened?" Luna said with a curious glance back at the mirror.

"I fear some memories are better left unsaid, even to you." —Celestia stiffened and squeezed her eyes shut—"To tarnish your memory of him would be a grave injustice."

"If you feel it is best then we won't dig any further, but we must talk on it in the near future." Luna gave her a reassuring smile. It filled Celestia with a warmth she had longed for during Luna's banishment. “We shall make you do a... oh, what did they call it, ah yes! A Pinkie Promise."

Celestia groaned and stared at her sister before relenting with a giggle. Luna always knew what to say to lighten Celestia's mood. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She covered her left eye with her hoof as she said the last part, a snort escaping at the very end.

Keeping her composure in spite of her own antics Luna wondered aloud, "So what did cause this?"

Celestia's horn glowed a bright white as she brought the components of a light spell together. The spell formed using her connection to the sun and simple light bending. As the spell reached its peak, all darkness in the chamber became light. The room looked strange with every shadow banished.

Luna blinked a few times and let her gaze wander through the soft magical light. “The room is brightened but we see nothing new.”

A white hoof made an arc over Celestia’s head, gesturing to the entire area. "That is what’s troubling me. Not only are the rubies and glass missing from this room, but I can't find any evidence of damage beyond the mirror.”

"Honestly, I thought it was a thief at first. How could they get past my wards? Only Discord has breached them with any form of success and even then I knew he had done so. But if thieves had somehow gotten inside, the missing rubies would make sense." Celestia ran her hoof along the warped slag that made up the edge of the mirror, "No thief could have done this. Both the glass and the frame are pure conduits of magic. The frame absorbs spells and the glass to project them using orichalcum. This is the same metal we forged the Alicorn Amulet from, Luna."

Luna's blinked, her mouth struggled to form words, "The same amulet we used to contain the power of Prince Caliginous. He was one of the more powerful alicorns from our history."

"That was long ago and Twilight delivered that amulet to our keeping," Celestia said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "It is in the same vault where we keep the Elements of Harmony and there it must stay. We will not have another Trixie incident."

"So what do you propose we do?" Luna asked looking back at Celestia.

Celestia returned to the window with a determined look, "We shall find who did this. We cannot protect our kingdom with something that dangerous running free. I just wish I had an ide–"

Celestia's head jerked downward, and she flung open the window, "Luna, we have trouble. I don't think the mirror is holding the spells any longer!" She reared back and leapt out of the window, opening her great wings and banking toward the disturbance.

Luna rushed to the window and followed her sister, "Wait, what did thou see?"

Behind the tower Celestia had flown from was another blob. It shone like a miniature sun as light poured from it making vision beyond it impossible. The various windows and metallic pieces of the tower reflected the light. It stabbed into Luna's teal eyes and they snapped shut.

Luna flew to the ground, staggering against the unseen ground. She attempted to block the light with her hooves to get a better view but to no avail. Her long nights accustomed her to low light. With no other choice, she listened for Celestia's voice.

Celestia had no such trouble and peered inside the magical opening. Her mouth hung slack and her eyes grew to a worrisome size.

******

Twilight backed away from the blob as the creature inside shambled closer. Each slow step making it grow larger in the wavy orb. Pieces of skin flaked off as its hooves hit the ground. As it drew closer Twilight could make out its features. A gruesome sight, the pony’s face was mostly skull with burned skin beginning under its left cheek. The burns extended to the cracked bone below, almost like it had been held over a flame or exposed to strong magic. Bits of sinew and flesh clung to the bone but in such small quantities that the means of locomotion were a mystery.

A snake-shaped suit of metal crashed into the ground behind the zombie, causing the image to shake. The strange suit began to open up, little parts moving and unfastening from the center. Soon the suit was stiff and splayed apart, resembling a broken rib-cage. An entity made up of many different species stepped out of the device.

Twilight's leveled a glowering look as she realized who she was looking at, "Discord! I should have known!"

Discord appeared to mouth something to her, no doubt an insult, and brought his right arm up. Expert clawed digits began pressing on a very fancy looking watch. Twilight could make out the words Pipboy-3000 on the side of it. With a satisfied smile, he tapped his claw on a final button and sped up to dizzying speeds. He pulled out a strange-looking machine and aimed it at the zombie; the action happened fast enough to leave a blur. A bright blue ball streaked out at insane speeds and caught the zombie in the torso. The ball enveloped the zombie and flesh liquefied under the intense heat falling like a revolting sweat. The putrid flesh bubbled off the zombie’s skeleton. Its body collapsed under its own weight, the bones soft as noodles.

Rarity watched the scene unfold in the blob, unable to stop her body from shaking. She backed up until she felt her tail touch Sugarcube Corner. Her head snapped around and she shrieked.

Discord snapped his fingers and appeared in front of Twilight. It was strange, he was missing the earlier equipment he'd been wearing, "Critical hit!" He cried.

Pinkie frowned and lost her normal enthusiasm. "I never get those," she muttered. Her face regained its brightness and she squealed. "It was super, amazing, awesome what you did to that zombie though!"

Twilight looked at Pinkie before shaking her head in disgust. She forced herself to look away from the blob toward Discord, "Is that what you used to... to... liquefy that zombie?" Her face turned green around the edges and her hoof hovered around her mouth.

"Dear Twilight no, the very act was a critical hit," Discord sneered at her. "I used a plasma… you know what? Never mind. You wouldn't understand." Discord gave an irritable sigh. "The things I go through being the Lord of Chaos and all." He stared at Twilight and tapped his foot. "A thank you would be nice though."

Rainbow Dash flew into Discord's face, "A thank you? Give me one good reason we shouldn't turn your sorry flank back into stone. While that place looks mega cool, you scared Rarity and Fluttershy half to death." She pointed at Rarity now slumped against the wall. Fluttershy maintained a defensive position with her hooves covering her head.

Applejack was still staring at the blob, her body a statue. Her outward appearance held neutral against the struggle in her eyes. She wanted to stay with her friends but her family might be in danger.

"I don't even know what you saved us from... or if you saved us at all!" Twilight fumed.

A tiny "Thank you." came from Fluttershy in the back as she looked up from the ground.

A devilish grin appeared on Discord's face and he snapped his fingers. He popped out of existence to appear next to Fluttershy, "At least somepony gets me.” he said. “We are still on for tea next week right? The decorations will be less interactive this time, I promise."

Fluttershy muscles relaxed as she stood. Her gaze held a gleam of happiness, "Of course Discord. I wouldn't miss it for the world," she said in her quiet but enthusiastic voice.

Twilight facehoofed and let out an "Urgggg!" turning toward the pair, "Discord do you have any idea what is going on right now?"

Discord chuckled, "My dear, dear Twilight... you accused me of being responsible and now you want to know what is causing this? I am feeling a bit saddened by your lack of trust." Discord turned his head down, the sound of a violin playing sad music drifted through the air. His clawed hand yanked down on a chain attached to a tall bar lamp and turned it on. The entire area, except where he was standing and the light from the bar lamp, seemed to dim. He looked back at her with comically large, sad eyes. He held out his lower lip, and it quivered.

This elicited another "Urggg!" from Twilight.

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry Discord. Thank you for saving us from certain doom," Twilight said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "What I meant to say is, are you responsible for this and if not, do you know what is?"

In an instant, everything around Discord went back to normal. He snapped upward with a smile, "Now Twilight! That is how you ask a ‘friend’." His smile widened into its typical sly self. He tapped his claw against his chin and shrugged. "I'm afraid I have nothing to do with this, despite what fun it has provided me. I do not know what is causing it. What I can tell you is that what you can see is an alternate dimension of sorts. In the world you saw, something rather devastating happened. It is a wasteland full of zombies and monsters. Many adventures to be had there, though I wouldn't recommend it." Discord winked towards Pinkie Pie.

"They always proposed that it was possible... I was positive Canterlot High was the only one...." Twilight trailed off, her eyes closing while in deep thought.

Rainbow Dash stuck her hoof in Discord’s face. "This doesn't mean you are off the hook,” she growled. “I know you have something to do with this. I have my eyes on you."

Discord's hysterical laugh echoed off of Sugarcube Corner. "Classic Rainbow Dash, always out to get big, bad Discord." He stuck his thumb in his mouth and blew, turning into a bowling pin shaped inflatable. As he grew, his arms detached forming hovering boxing gloves. He delivered a hit to himself. Despite the severity of the blow he returned to an upright state. "Well, I can take whatever you can dish out." The gloves whisked across the sky shrinking and latching onto Rainbow Dash's hooves.

Twilight jerked her head up looking at the inflated Discord. "This is serious, Discord,” she snapped. “Beyond all the theories that have just been proven, we don't know how dangerous this is. We have to go to Celestia at once."

A small plastic knob under Discord popped open and air erupted with a shrill whistle, returning him to his normal form. "Ok... ok... spoilsport. Although, I think Celestia will have her hands full very shortly." He gave a knowing grin at Twilight and put his claws together.

******

Everything was on fire.

The trees were charcoal, the rocks red and soft, the area void of wildlife, and even the ground was burning embers. The sky was aflame, the blue replaced with a haze of reds and oranges wavering in the intense heat. A long crater was once a beautiful lake, the water replaced by magma that hissed and bubbled. A giant sun shone in the distance, far larger than it should be. Multi-colored auroras sparked across the sky as the atmosphere was being stripped away.

Celestia's head jerked around looking at the anomaly from all angles. She knew the sun was her domain and she could save this world. "We have to put a stop to this immediately," she said to herself and flew right into the blob only to pass through it. She turned around and flew into it again, letting out a frustrated grunt.

"Sister, calm down!" Luna said, still covering her eyes with a futile effort. "What is going on in there that is causing you such pain?"

Celestia calmed down a bit, her face becoming very grim. "There is nothing but fire inside... the sun is far too close, Luna! I must move it back." Tears brimmed, threatening to escape. In her heart she knew nothing survived on that desolate place. But she still felt the need to save it.

A flash of movement caught her attention, and she gasped as a living pony came into view. A solid white alicorn covered in armor flying above the inferno as if it were a summer day. She became larger as she got closer to the blob and Celestia's stare followed her.

She could not see who this alicorn was. Her helmet extended down the bridge of her nose in a solid orange and gold color. A solid neck guard with Celestia's sigil emblazoned on it extended to her wings, covering the tops and splitting near the end. Beautiful engravings flowed down the entire piece. Dangerous looking greaves in the shapes of flames covered her hooves. An orange alicorn mane like Celestia's blended with the surrounding flames. A gleeful smile adorned her lips but the most remarkable feature was her eyes. They were bronze on gold and slitted like a predator, darting from side to side as she flew by.

Celestia watched as the alicorn traced the landscape with her gaze. Closer and closer she got until those burning orbs met hers. The alicorn mouthed something before using her mighty wings to get closer.

******

Daybreaker was enjoying the forever sunlit world she had created. She flew high over the land feeling the heat her sun provided, cleansing Equestria. A small patch floating above the ground caught her eye because it was not burning.

"Who dares defy my law of cleansing. Show yourself or I will devour you with my flames!" Daybreaker hissed, her face contorting in fury.

No response came from the area so she banked left and began to bear down on its location. She would correct the mistake of ignoring her warning.

As she neared she noticed something strange. There was a solid white alicorn looking at her through a strange spacial disturbance. She smiled, showing off her sharp fangs.

Excited thoughts flew into her mind, A rival! What fortune! Infinite day was all she cared for. But to fight for it once more... against an alicorn no less!

She came to a stop in front of the blob, her wings pumping as she hovered. She enhanced the display with a pose of royalty. "Who are you that trespasses in my lands? I claim this world in the name of the sun and its fire! Only those able to withstand its wrath are worthy to be here."

The white alicorn didn't appear threatened. She didn't appear to hear her at all.

With a shriek, she stepped around the anomaly, while covering herself in flames. The flames rose the angrier she got, dancing in large gouts. The other alicorn's face betrayed shock. That’s better, she thought, she should be afraid.

******

Celestia couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her cutie mark on the flank of that menacing alicorn. The pieces began falling together. Her cutie mark, fangs, armor, the eyes, it was all so familiar. "No, that is not me. I... I would never. Luna succumbed to the Nightmare, not me!"

Celestia's sudden lack of composure brought a sense of urgency to Luna. "What did you say about the Nightmare?" She called as she dared to look at the blob, the pain was intense but she gained a glimpse of the armored alicorn.

Celestia flapped her wings and rose into the tower with a cry. She’d taken this path once before with Luna, she could not handle it again. The image burned into her mind and consumed all rational thought.

******

"Oh no, you won't flee from me!" Daybreaker roared, her rage forming a pillar of fire. She began to channel the sun into her horn, layers of a spell only known to her forming. An intricate spell matrix formed in her mind. It was ironic, this spell was once used to put out fires; she filled it with the power of her celestial body.

The spell went off, firing a blast of mercury-like substance towards the blob. As it traveled, it caused violent explosions from the super-heated air. Splatters hit the anomaly, coating it until it glowed orange from the reflected surroundings. With a slurp, the liquid was absorbed into the spatial disturbance and it shrunk down to the size of a grape. Daybreaker pouted, lamenting the weakness of the alicorn for succumbing to her spell.

Sizzles and pops echoed from within the tiny orb. Something was wrong. The anomaly started to swell with a loud churning noise. As it grew so did the vision it provided. She saw the alicorn she thought she had incinerated flying up into a tower. On her flank was Daybreaker's own cutie mark.

"What is this madness? There is only one Daybreaker!" She screeched at the insolent alicorn.

Unable to contain her fury, she charged at the blob. Her determination to destroy this impersonation of herself blinded her to the danger. She collided with it, now solid and hard. Her thoughts raced as her mind registered a strange sensation. She screamed and jerked away from the anomaly as she realized it had burned her.

The hardening ball went dark, and the edges expanded, bringing it to a size larger than a boulder. The world inside blinked out, replaced by a roiling metallic magic. The last thing Daybreaker saw was the massive orb pulse waves of pure silver, shedding layer after layer before shrinking into nothingness. Sheets of the magical substance rained over her and at first, her natural resistance saved her. However, the spell was now many times stronger than anything she could conjure or endure. Her world turned from flames to agony; heat of which even she couldn't withstand seared into her. The sound of sizzling drowned out her screams. She thrashed as her armor began to melt and drip off her, each droplet etching it’s path along her body. As the heat intensified, her mane burned away, followed by much of her skin. Hellish temperatures continued to rise until they reduced the rest of her to nothing. Her entire world was ashes, but her body wouldn't be joining them.

******

Luna dared to look at the blob a final time, seeing it grow and turn dark. She opened her wings to flee, but the magical opening shrank into nothingness and disappeared.

Startled, Luna turned towards the window Celestia had dove through. "Sister! Let me help you!" Extending her midnight wings and giving a mighty flap, she bolted after her.

******

Twilight and her friends arrived at the castle. They saw Celestia streak into one of Canterlot Castle's towers.

"Hey look!" Rainbow Dash shouted, pointing into the air. "Luna is still up there with another one of those... things."

Twilight corrected her saying, "Those are anomalies, Rainbow Dash. Breaks in space and time. If Discord was telling the truth, we are viewing other versions of Equestria. Star-Swirl's book suggested it was possible."

"That's fine, egghead, but we don't have time to talk about it! We've gotta save Luna." Rainbow Dash sped off towards Luna, her speed leaving a trail of rainbow.

The anomaly was bright and Twilight couldn't make out anything inside. She noticed it was growing, darkening as it did so. With a pulse of white, it shrank down and disappeared into nothingness.

The tower drew her attention before she had any time to dwell on the strange occurrence. She saw Luna fly through one of the castle windows with Rainbow Dash gaining speed behind her.

"We have to get to the castle, girls," Twilight said, galloping ahead.

The sounds of pounding hooves followed her.

******

Celestia wings beat from her desperation, propelling her through the maze that was Canterlot Castle. Her room would bring her solace to deal with her thoughts.

"Sister! Wait!" Luna pumped her wings to keep up with Celestia, hearing a door slam and arriving at Celestia's room.

Celestia heard Luna's voice through the door, “We do not know what you have seen, but we refuse to let you face it alone! The Nightmare only truly has power then!”

Celestia stifled a sob, composing herself before opening the door. She stood before Luna, her eyes puffy and cheeks stained with tears, "You are right, Luna. I just... I can't believe I would do that to my little ponies."

Luna sighed and lowering her head to the ground. “We know not what you saw. The light inside the sphere was far too bright for us to see inside." She looked up and held Celestia's gaze. "When the light had faded enough to see, we only saw something resembling an alicorn. The sphere began to grow larger. We prepared to flee but it shrank into nothingness and disappeared."

"It was me... I was there... but not, I mean I was you... not you but Nightmare Moon!" Tears fell onto Celestia's cheek and her voice choked. "Everywhere was fire and death. I could find no signs of my little ponies but I knew they should be there. The sun was too close Luna, far too close... it was turning everything to ash." She collapsed where she was standing burying her head in her hooves.

"No one bears the curse of the Nightmare but me, Sister. What you saw cannot be and never will be! You care about your ponies far too much to let the Nightmare ever win the fight." Luna lay a comforting hoof on Celestia's head.

Celestia sniffed, her legs shaking as she stood back up. She raised her hoof and wiped the tears away. Her gaze hovered back toward Luna with a different sadness, "I am afraid you are wrong, Luna. With the mirror shattered that was very real. It was only a glimpse into a possibility. We saw many such things on our adventures, Star-Swirl and I." Her eyes lost focus and she stared blankly at the wall. "Some lands were as grand as ours, others history consumed with a single change. We did our best to block access to the worlds that posed a threat. Despite that, I have seen other versions of myself and some still haunt me even after hundreds of years." Her face darkened. "But that is the worst I have seen, Sister. Whatever happened caused me to burn our world to nothing."

A large crack echoed throughout the room as the door behind them splintered apart. Rainbow Dash tumbled through sending chunks of wood everywhere. "I'm here to save you, Princess!” she declared, her eyeballs dancing around in her head from the blow. “Just as soon as I can figure out which one of you is real." She shook her head, the multiple images of the princesses remaining.

Both Luna and Celestia began laughing. "I am safe,” Princess Celestia declared before continuing between giggles, “We both are. Thank you, Rainbow Dash. Twilight's friends are gifted at saving me from all manner of problems." Celestia walked past the broken door and searched the hallway. "Where is Twilight Sparkle? I assume you would not be here without her."

Rainbow Dash's features scrunched up in confusion. Staggering to her hooves and stumbling back and forth she said, "I... sort of ran off ahead of her when I thought you were in danger." She gave an embarrassed grin and looked away.

Not long after Twilight and her remaining friends came galloping down the hallway.

"Princess Celestia, are you okay? We are here to help!" Twilight said as her breath came in heavy gasps.

Discord trailed behind them, a bag of popcorn in his hand, "Hey, don't start without me. I want good seats!" He said, as he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"I am fine, Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash was quite successful at defending me from my bedroom door." Both sisters couldn't help but laugh again.

"Huh?" Twilight looked down at the broken door, then up at Rainbow Dash. "Why did you break her door, Rainbow Dash?”

"I was just trying to get to whatever was attacking the Princess. The door was in the way!" Rainbow Dash said falling back onto the bed.

"Nothing was attacking us, Rainbow Dash. We were dealing with a sphere that gave vision into another world," Luna explained.

"Anomaly," Twilight corrected. "It is an anomaly in space and time. We were coming here to warn you about it. A different one has appeared in Ponyville." Twilight looked up at Celestia and grimaced, "I understand your reaction. We saw zombies and a ruined world in our anomaly."

A pair of dragon eyes appeared in the bed curtain above Rainbow Dash. "You left out the best part, where I saved you from certain doom." Discord’s body took a snake-like form, slithering down the purple curtains. "I do hope you aren't trying to sssteal the spotlight from me, Princess Twilight." He produced a spotlight in his hands and handcuffed it to himself.

"You know as well as I do, Discord, that nothing can interact from beyond the anomalies. An appropriate name for them Twilight, thank you." Celestia's face hardened. "This grace shall not last forever if we cannot stop the cause. Not only will more of these anomalies occur but they will become more and more real. If not stopped, they will completely mimic the spell they were created from."

"Do ya' know what’s causin' em to appear Princess Celestia?" Applejack went to stand near Twilight. "It was all fun when we were scarin' Rainbow but those were real zombies. Ah don't know what ma family would do if they came through. The vampire bats were bad enough." Applejack glanced over at Fluttershy before returning her gaze on Celestia. "Ah'm afraid for ma family. If one of these here... things were to appear on Sweet Apple Acres." Her voice trailed off.

"Yes, I am well aware of the cause. As I told Discord, they can't hurt your family yet. Twilight you remember the mirror you used after Sunset Shimmer stole your crown?" Celestia asked.

"I do, princess." Twilight shuffled her hooves, putting more of her weight on her haunches. Her body still remembered the experience of being human. "Did something bad happen over there?"

Discord teleported next to Twilight. "Oh, somewhere I haven't heard of. Why have I never heard you talk about this other place? Is it perhaps a secret that I'm not supposed to know about?" Discord was immediately wearing a black suit with black shades. A small silver device with red rectangular glass appeared in his hands. "Now just look at the red light and you won't either." He fumbled with the small device before sighing. "I can never get this thing to work right." Discord took off his glasses and inspected the device. "Ah! Here we go!" A bright flash of red-covered Discord's face as his claw hit the tiny button. "What were we talking about again?"

Celestia coughed politely, glaring at Discord. "No, I don't think anything has happened. Yet, something caused severe damage to the mirror last night. I am sure that this damage is what is causing these anomalies to appear. Discord, I must ask if you know something about this.

Discord shook his head causing a series of small, unpowered light bulbs to fall out. "No idea, dear princess. Twilight had the same conclusion of course." A tiny discord appeared before Twilight, sticking his tongue out and disappearing. "These things are cause for alarm for me too, ya know. We Discords have a rule of not interfering with each other. Fights between us can be quite chaotic." Discord continued as Celestia was about to speak, "Yes, other universes are known to me. I know of other Discords as well. There have been problems in the past and you can call it a territorial dispute, so to speak."

Celestia found his words alarming but one problem at a time. She said, "You should inspect the mirror Twilight, find anything my sister and I may have missed. If we cannot figure out something soon, we will have to begin planning on how to repair the mirror. I can think of no other way to stop the anomalies from getting worse."

Stepping around the bits of splintered wood spread around the room Celestia approached Discord. Her muzzle was inches from his ear as she whispered, "You can't keep hiding secrets from us, Discord. One day they will catch up with you too." Business and pleasure accomplished, she beckoned to Luna with a pearlescent wing. They started to make their way toward the room with the mirror.

"You can count on us, Princess Celestia!" Twilight beamed, following her mentor through the destroyed doorway.

******

Far to the north, in lands past the Crystal Empire, a lone pony sat in a tower on a mountain. This mountain was a part of a chain that ran east and west for as far as the eye could see. No pony of today had explored that far without freezing to death. This tower was made long ago by ponies seeking to create an outpost in the far reaches of explored Equestria. They nestled it into the side of the jagged mountain like a crooked tooth to better defend against the Yaks. Times were not always so peaceful and the tower would be an early warning should a war ever come from the north. The ponies had hoof carved each brick from white marble like Canterlot Castle. The white coloring acted as camouflage for the tower in the harsh blizzards that blew year round. At the base were a series of statues in the likeness of the founders of the tower. They formed a circle upon Celestia's sun sigil, ever watchful. All was white except for a soft, red glow coming from one of the tower's windows.

The room was not large, but covered end to end in bookcases full of decaying tomes and journals. The air smelled of dust and the oils used to preserve the paper. It was eerily quiet except for the howls of frost beating against the outside tower. In the center was a stand and table carved from whisperwood, a black tree only found in the depths of the Everfree forest. Glistening in the dim light was one of the stolen rubies. Next to it, a large book sat open upon a metal support. Old leather wrapping cradled the yellow, worn pages of the book. Imprinted upon the binding was a faded title: Star-Swirl's Journal of Translocation Experimentation.

The pony flipped through the pages with his magic.

"Ah, yes..." He hissed when he found the page. "I had forgotten exactly where I put this, but now that I have it I can begin to break the seals you so carefully put on here. It was foolish of you to lock the mirror to a single world." His grin only grew as he began to read, old memories coming back. "It has been so long, but the formula matches what I remember. Let's see if it works."

He raised his horn towards the ruby and began adding the matrices from the book to his spell. The first provided a draw from his own magic to power the spell. The second a series of shapes and symbols to affix onto the gem. Each symbol and shape counteracted one of the locks Celestia had placed. He cycled through several combinations from memory.

Slamming his hoof into the floor, he sent a spiderweb of cracks through the stone, "Crafty alicorn. She probably thinks this seal is beyond any living pony to unlock. After all, she had helped to make it, but that is exactly why I can do this.” He said with a grunt as he got the combination right, a surge of magical energy shooting from his horn into the ruby.

The ruby glowed red and cascaded through blue and then yellow. As he poured more magical energy into the spell, the colors melded together. A kaleidoscope of color splayed on the wall as it erupted from the ruby. The ruby split, chunks falling off in the shape of the encoded symbols overlayed in its facets. From those fissures erupted a grinding noise so loud the walls shook. Snow fell from the tower, disturbed after settling there for all those years. The sound reached a deafening crescendo causing what remained of the ruby's shell fell away.

Sweat dripped from his mane despite the cold and the pony fell to his knees. With great effort, his magic brought the orb to rest with the care of a new mother. The orb was beautiful. It was absolute perfection. Whiter than any snow and unnaturally translucent, the orb sat in front of Star-Swirl's face.

"I've restored one of the gateway stones!” he intoned triumphantly. “Let’s give it a test shall we? Something easy, perhaps scrying... yes." He licked his lips as he hauled himself back up bones popping from age. His dull eyes sparked to life with excitement.

He thought of the room in Canterlot Castle that stored the mirror. Another thought created a link between himself and the stone. Reacting to his magic, the stone lost its white luster and projected the location. He willed the image larger until he was satisfied with its clarity. As he peered at the image, he recognized Celestia and Luna, but who were these other ponies?

He chose the purple alicorn first, curiosity at such a creature getting the better of him. He willed the image closer and his eyes widened, "The six-pointed star of magic is her cutie mark and she is an alicorn. How could I not know of her? I know of all the alicorns that have existed in the past 2000 years. With that cutie mark, she must be the alicorn of magic." He shrugged as he trailed off, his demeanor relaxing. "Perhaps 700 years ago that would have been a problem. But things have changed."

He threw off his cloak and stretched the decrepit wings he had used to fly to the tower. One of the tattered wings clipped his hat, sending a tinkling noise throughout the abandoned tower. He looked down at the cracks he had made in the floor during his frustration. He had never been able to master his earth pony strength. A chuckle reverberated into the room and the old pony opened himself to his domain. Time magic flowed through him erasing the wrinkles from his body. The sparse coat that adorned his body grew thick, the grey washed out as the magic caressed his body. The darker wings, aged and brittle, became full and powerful. They changed to the same alabaster as his body. The feathers, layered upon one so perfectly they stood apart as individuals no more, resembled the snow sheets outside.

Once a creature of a greying coat and mane, he was now a splendor of white, with only Celestia to rival its purity. His voice changed, the feeble and shaky speech replaced with confidence, a commanding tone that belied his youth and power. And from this voice, the tower heard only one thing.

"Because now, we are equals."

Author's Note

A mysterious villain makes his appearance. I wanted to give some insight into the anomalies while giving some fun action. Hope you enjoyed it! Again a little feedback goes a long way, so don't be shy!

Thanks for reading!