Author's Note

Boy has it been a while. My job's making it really hard to commit, what with getting ready to deploy overseas and all. But for those of you enjoying this, it's not dead, I promise.

Chapter Two - More Than What The Mirror Tells

Evening time. The lively caves are winding down. I sit side by side with the famed Buddy Duke enjoying dinner and a chat.

My search for sedition has led me to many interesting pages of a shredded book. Lemon Heart, Little Tumbler, Sky Scraper, Sundrop Swirl, Dance’a Prance, and many other characters just as colorful as their names. All of them with their own unique tales to tell. But few have been welcoming. None have been as grateful to greet than the Blue Beauty himself.

Buddy Duke, the last beat of heart and soul these dreary walls have to offer. Always bebopin’ around with a pep in his step and a smile on his face. Happy to help, and sure to share. “It’s a beautiful day” is his motto. No matter the mood, he always seems to find a way to bring sunshine to the cloudiest skies.

“And that’s how Twinkle and I got away with murder.” he says after another lengthy story of his youth.

I nearly spit out my drink. “Woah wait what? Did I miss something?”

“Nah, I’m just kidding. After we convinced him to tell us where the jewelry was, we gave it all back to the museum.”

“So you two were almost like crime fighters.”

He chuckles. “Hmhm, not really. We got into more trouble than we stopped. But I always had something up my sleeve to get us out. Heh, you didn’t think Twink was a rabble rouser, did ya? That crazy diamond..”

"How'd you two end up meeting anyway?"

“Twink was a rich kid. Her parents were members of the Canterlot Elite but that wasn’t her style. Always called her a diamond cause her family was so posh. Me? I’m from a place called Baltimare, but I grew up on the mean streets of Canterlot.” He jabs at the air. “Well, I say mean streets but they were actually really nice. Never had a home to call my own though.”

“So you didn’t grow up with much of anything either. That makes two of us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nevermind. I’ll save that for later, go on.”

“Hm, so we met when she cut class one day. One of those rich private schools with all the rules, ya know? I got her out of the fast lane, slowed her down, taught her how to smell the roses. We’ve been friends ever since. Good times..”

“You didn’t go to the same school together?”

“School? Pfft, no. Never had the money for that. All my knowhow comes from the ponies I’ve met. Meet a loooot of interesting magicians in a city made of magic. A lot of amazing stories, too. Even if I could go to school, I wouldn’t because of all the adventures I’d miss out on. Twink? Eh, she thought her magic was more important than I did. But we were pretty much Ride Or Die all the way up until she got accepted to the School for Gifted Unicorns.”

“You weren’t at all interested in learning magic?”

“Not in school. There they just teach you how to be prim and proper and use your magic for good -”

Use your magic for good.. Hmm..

“- and all that nonsense. I’m a free bird, prim and proper ain’t my thang. Half the magic I know is just stuff I made up. Really helps when you’re always sticking your hoof in and out of the oven.”

“Hmm. Shame you don’t get to use any of it down here.”

“Ha! So you think.”

“What? I thought none of you could use your magic because of the dangers it poses.”

“We can’t, but, let’s just say I’m good at not leaving a trace.”

Not leaving a trace..

Prim, proper, use it for good.. not his style..
And he knows how not to leave a trace… I may have just found my first lead. Loose, shaky at best, but it's the most I've uncovered so far.

“That’s very interesting.” I say, carrying on. “I’m sorry for the rest of your kind then. They’d be a lot better off if it if weren’t for mine.”

“Pfft, Equestria’s been under attack for centuries. You’re not the first, and probably won’t be the last. You are the first that won though.. But it’s fine.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean at the end of the day, everything is always fine. Plus, those things you did? Eh it wasn’t your fault.”

It wasn’t my fault.

“Well Duke, been nice talking to you, but I’ve got other things to take care of.”

“Oh. Bummer. Alright, I’ll see ya ‘round dude. Take care.”

I leave the cafeterium, thinking of those last words Duke spoke to me.

A world in ruins. Millions, no, billions have perished. Only one word was on the mind of everyone at the end of their lives - Humans. And I played my part. I can’t count how many souls were given up at my hands. I can’t even think, knowing my role on the attack on Canterlot, how many of those souls Duke knew.

And yet he says it’s not my fault. It was the first time I had ever heard this. It was the last thing I expected my former enemy to say.

But I’ve found the first piece of the puzzle. Trouble now is, how many more, and where does it fit?

Who else have I not talked to.. I suppose I could give Grease a shot. Someone of her talents must be an important asset. I wonder what all she could know.

I cross the complex towards the sanctum. Just outside the door to Grease’s workshop, the chuttering of her arc welder. She must be working on something.

I knock, but receive no reply. The chuttering goes on as she continues her work.

I push on the door.

Not even a moment after it opens to a slit, a wrench is thrown. Crack! It impales itself in the wood.

RIGHT.. That’s her way of saying she’s busy. Damn, I was lucky the door was in my way. Perhaps I should leave her be and come back later. I don’t want my head being loosened by one of those.

Gah! What was I even thinking. Grease can’t even talk. What use would it be trying to see what she knows if she can’t tell me anything? But.. She has built a number of communication devices. Is one of those strong enough to relay messages to the enemy? No.. Another preposterous idea. She’d need a large dish or antenna somewhere outside to transmit any kind of signal. I doubt even with her talents that she could build one, let alone keep it hidden

So they can’t use magic to communicate.. Nor do they have the tech for long range radio.. But what could it be! There must be something I’m missing. Maybe they’re going out at night to carry the message? No, that would take too long. Mustang seemed to know everything almost the moment it happened. I can only make sense that Duke or Twinkle must somehow be in on it. But even that idea has just as many holes as all the others..

Errg What is it! How can they be doing this! I must be missing something, but what could it be! Ugh this is putting me at my wit’s end. I’ve been at it all day and I stand not one step closer than this morning. Maybe I just need to give it a rest for now. It’s getting late. Sigh.. Hopefully Igneous is finally done carving out my room. It’d be nice to sleep somewhere not exposed to the outside for once.

I walk down the hall, and luckily find Igneous in his usual room, toiling away with his pickaxe. The.. Whatever sort of room he’s in doesn’t look any different than last night. Come to think of it, he does spend an awful lot of time down here, away from everyone else. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to interview him. As the old adage goes, leave no Igneous Rock unturned!

Sigh..

I open the door, immediately finding his attention. “Ah, surely thy be the Human Hero. To what doth this honor be owed?”

What a strange way of speaking. “Igneous, I heard you’d been working on something for me. Mind showing me?”

“Why, I’d be obliged! Please, to yonder staircase follow.”

We go down the stairs towards to the sanctum. Halfway down, there’s a vault-like door I had not noticed before. Through its way, a lavish limestone living space with three hollow cutouts turned to houses. Two fit for Equine, and one sized and customized just for me. Complete with tablet tables, chatham chairs, and belovite beds. These other two spaces must be for Twilight and Ivory. In Twilight’s, I notice something that brings back a vague yet meaningful memory. Many days ago, in the rubble of the Ponyville library, I had found a photographic fragment of a purple and green lizard. I had taped it to the side of my rifle. Here I find that exact fragment, stuck back to its whole - A picture of Twilight and Fluttershy, and a few others unknown to me. There are several pictures in fact of Twilight and the Lizard together. A pet? A friend? Surely their bond was closer than any others for her to have kept so much of their past. But on Ivory’s side, nothing. Only a blank template mirroring Twilight’s own space. Her ruffled bedding is the only indication one was ever here. Mine is exactly like the other two, only matched to meet my much larger size. I was even provided with bedding, something I have never been afforded. In my days aboard my mothership, our beds adjusted to match a comfortable body temperature, no blankets were needed. But something about having them has always made me feel more secure, more at home with myself.

“As promised, your accommodation be of the highest hoofmade regard.” Igneous says proudly.

I sit on the bed. At the very moment I give it my weight, it returns with a pliable comfort I have never known. Just by the bend of the mattress, the finesse in the handmade fabric, I can tell it was made with care and comfort in mind. The opposite of my kind, where there are needs which are met, and only just. Every piece of luxury built for purpose and function, rather than pleasure. In space, resources are scarce. Manufacturing matter is a slow process, all things are made to check a block, nothing more - Tools, weapons, and even lives.

I give Igneous a quick rundown, telling him how I’m getting to know everyone. Leaving out of course that I’m on a hunt. I ask him to share his tale.

“I’d be delighted!” he says. “As thou art none but aware, I am called Igneous Rock Pie, son of Feldspar and Granite Pie. --”

Oh boy, I’m in for a hell of a wait.

He goes on.. and on.. and on in that same lifeless, yawn drawing voice about all the rivet and excitement.. of running a rock farm. He spars no expense to fill me in on every last detail of his life, equalling most of it to The Great Rock Cycle. It's a gneiss story, and despite his mono tone, he does dig up some things of note. Such as his four daughters, Maud, Limestone, Marble and Pinkie. Though these names are not of importance, it's a nice break from the basalt on my patience.

The moment is only saved, ironically, by the sudden entrance of Ivory. The door blasts open, but she stops as she notices me. “Oh no.” she says, staring blankly. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“I must beg your pardon, Miss Ivory.” says Igneous. “What be the trouble at this moment?”

“GET. OUT.”

But she insists that only Igneous leave. She stops me with a hoof, and waits for the door to shut. “Are you KIDDING me!” she exclaims. “This isn’t where I wanted him to put you! That deaf fool!”

I smirk. “Well then, looks like you and I are going to be getting closer than ever before.”

“Shut up! I refuse to sleep near you! I’ve already been up for three days straight, I can go longer! Dammit! Ugggh what am I going to do with these ponies..”

She trots to her bed, placing an old fashioned timer on her nightstand. “Well. You and I are finally alone. Consider this your interrogation.”

She winds up the timer.

“Oh, another one.” I say, rolling my eyes. I’d be more intimidated if she had a weapon, or if I was chained down. “Well, it’s just you and me, alone, behind a locked door, and you don’t even have a bargaining chip. I wonder how this will go.”

I warm my muscles tensely, my heart rate climbing to meet the speedy ticking timer.

But she chuckles. “I thought you’d be as uncooperative as usual. But there’s a reason I’m here. I do have a bargaining chip.”

“And what’s that?”

She grins at me with her twisted smirk. “I have Fluttershy chained up in the interrogation chamber. When this timer goes off, if I don’t get what I want from you, my guards will put her through the paces.”

“You WHAT!”

I shoot off the bed, ready to smash through Ivory and break down the door.

But a gleaming red bolt slams me in the chest. Like being struck by a vehicle, I fly back and plow onto my bed.

“SIT DOWN!” she screams. “Think very carefully about your next move, Jax! You’re wasting your own time.”

Struck again, this time by the irony of having said those same words to her. “I thought - you couldn't - use magic.” I pull myself back up.

“Time is ticking!” she sings. “But I have no problem letting it pass. I’ll win either way. The rock here is thick enough to keep my magic hidden. Once again, you find yourself helpless at my mercy.”

This crazed, manipulative sadist has yet again exploited and backed me into a corner. I am no stranger to the power of a unicorn. As much as I hate it, I’m trapped. But most important to me right now is pulling Fluttershy out of harm's way. “How long - does she have. How long did you set the timer for?”

“That’s a good question. One that even I don’t know the answer to. It's a beautiful metaphor, isn’t it? Only now do you realize what we all have hanging over our heads!”

As much as I want to beat her to a bloody pulp, I know not what else she could have planned, let alone what questions she brings with her this time.

She goes on. “Let’s get down to business. I know behind your mindless thirst for blood, there's a brain rattling around in there somewhere. So, who is it?”

“Who’s who?”

“Put that shit away. Time’s not on our side. You’re not on my side and I sure as hell am not on yours.. Unfortunately all three of us have to come together to find out who our little turncoat is. You and I both know something's coming, but no idea when. Someone knows. Along with When, we’re missing Who, What, and Why. And you’re going to help me figure them out.”

Who. What. Why. Against Time, Ivory and I. All of us in a race to When.

“So. Who is it.” she says again impatiently. I listen to the timer, quell my quiet rage and question my encounters. I quickly narrow down all the choices. Of all the faces I’ve met and stories I’ve heard, the tiny clues lead to but a handful. Twinkle and Duke amongst them, but of that small group an answer has yet to be found.

“I have no idea.” I finally admit in frustration. “I haven’t found them yet.”

“And why not?” I know this question is just to drag out my time. She has a very clear goal but doesn’t seem to care how she gets it. So I tell her what I know. I tell her the stories, give up my two comrades, confess it all in a way to somehow convince her they’re more hidden than a tear in the rain. As I explain, I see in her ugly mug that even she understands my logic. I know she is very cruel, cold as ice but she's sharp as a blade. A blade which digs into me for every last drop to finish her puzzle of blood. I hope that my answer is enough, for now. “Satisfied?”

She eyes me up, dragging on the time as she thinks. Then she smirks. “Well.. We still have a little bit of time.”

Even I have to chain myself down from letting loose.

"Let's work backwards from Why. Shall we? While you were out, not only did you steal what they were after but you also killed their leader. And yet it feels like nothing has changed. Why?"

I think, but can'tfind a sensible answer before she speaks again.

"Nopony has left the caves, no fluxes in magic have been detected. Surely the spy must still be here. Even more difficult is the Why of why somepony would want to help keep Equestria in ruins."

"It has to be his mind control spell! That's all I can think of."

"But you killed him. His spell should have worn off!"

"I had first hand experience with his psionics! It almost warped my own mind --"

"As if it wasn't already warped enough."

"-- And maybe he did warp the minds of so many to stay loyal even after his death. It's all that makes sense to me. I've been collecting the pieces, all I could find since last night and this is where they point."

"Hmm.." She thinks, but still with that look of dissatisfaction. Inside myself I pray for it to be enough, for Fluttershy's sake. She does not deserve to be caught between my failures and the wrath of others.

".. No." she says.

I sink into pouring dread. Ivory's aim to find the answer is just as strong as her want for me to suffer.

"It's still not enough." she continues.

"What do you mean not enough! That's the only way the answers point!"

"Oh there's much more to it than that. But I'll give you some credit. Because you're so ignorant of magic, you don't see what the rest of us can. But you did give me something. Let's move on."

A sigh of relief. But I still strain just the same.

"What is to come of your actions? Like I said, you and I both know something is coming. But what?"

"Revenge? An attack?! I don't know what they would have planned!"

"An attack! Don’t be so daft! Even Mustang, or whoever the fuck's in charge now would know what a bad idea that is. He can only win if there’s enough magic left. There's 70 of us. Do you know how many lives would be lost? How much magic we'd lose as a result? Surely you're smarter than this."

"Well then, if you're so smart, why can't you figure out what's coming?"

She grabs the timer and forces it closer to ringing. "No!" I shout, muscles nearly jumping from my body. But her cruel grin beneath her threatening blood-red glow keeps me caged.

"Keep fucking with me Jax! And you'll see your precious friend's corpse hanging from the ceiling!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"TRYY MEEE!"

This evil bitch! This cruel, manipulative, psychotic bitch! Where are the answers, where is Twilight!

"You better figure it out, Jax. We're almost out of time."

Such a harsh way to force me to share their closing despair. "Well if it's not an attack then!.. It must be something, they must be sending someone! To do what or when, I don't know!"

"Think dammit! What are they coming for!" She grabs the timer again.

"The Elements!" I shout, barely a thought for it. "..Twilight said she needed three Elements before she could reshape magic! Maybe that's what they're after. We have two and they have one. That's why they're still spying on us! They have someone hiding to take the Elements when the time is right!"

"Finally! Praise Celestia, he has a brain! You're finally starting to put it all together!"

"So that's all this is about! Just some trap to get me to see!"

“Oh it’s so much more, don’t be so obtuse! I almost thought you were on a spark of genius for a moment! You just had to ruin it. You have a habit of ruining things.”

“Then what is this! Why put Fluttershy in the crossfire!”

“Equestria was my home. And you destroyed it! Everything I ever had and ever wanted was all around me! And now there’s just ash. You’ve left me scarred, and Fluttershy is the only thing that you hold dear. I have no sympathy for either of you. And once all is said and done, once we’ve found the spy, I will have my revenge, one way or another!”

“We’ve all lost everything! What makes your loss --”

“Loss? What do you know about loss!”

I keep silent, holding back. It would only waste Fluttershy’s time to answer, and Ivory would be no less blind to my light.

“Now then.” she continues, the rage in her eyes slowly dwindling to the matters at hand. “We have a Why, and we have a What. All that’s left is Who. So tell me Jax, who is it?”

I still draw a blank. But with borrowed time like a knife to my throat, rather than think, I talk. I tell her all of who I’ve come to meet, about Duke and Twinkle, and all the signs I’ve found in each. And all Ivory does is listen, the gears in her head turning. She lets me say my piece. But before I can finish, the timer breaks into song and dance.

She looks to it, then back to me. Always with the same sinister glint behind her corrosive stare. But with the timer’s song, her mood strangely becomes docile. She gives me a smug grin, and says “Well, thank you for your time. For once you’ve finally helped me.”

“What’s your trick now! Let go of Fluttershy!”

“Oh pffft, Fluttershy was never in any real danger!”

“Wha -- You mean, you mean it was a lie? It was all a lie the whole time?”

"Well I had to get you to cooperate somehow! Beating you senseless wasn’t cutting it. Plus, you work better under stress.”

She heads for the door. As I watch her trot away, I become numb. Just as much of me wants to leap up and tear her to ribbons right now.. As it wants to relax knowing Fluttershy is safe.

After the door seals, I calm down. I breathe like ocean waves - slow, relaxed, wave after wave, breath after breath. Soon I’m settled in, all wrapped up in silky comfort as I prepare for sleep. But like those waves, crashing in one after the other, heavier as time passes, I slip in and out of bouts of panic. Each time, I feel the jolting urge to jump up and run to check on Fluttershy. But it’s all kept at bay. What reason would Ivory have to lie about her again? It serves her no purpose. Fluttershy must be safe.

I keep repeating that to myself, though the back of my mind never lets it go. The minutes pass as I try to sleep. A constant battle to loosen up or loosen someone’s head. But eventually, nuzzled away under layers of soft, my mind slips away as I’m transported to the next day.

• - - -

I wake up. Eyes closed, feeling warm, mind clear as if reset. Ears full of empty silence, cradled by a voided hum of metal and pipes. Not a thought in my head, not a stress on my heart, only the autopilot of routine and schedule. So another day of training begins. My life goes on as it should. Until I open my eyes of course, and realise where I am. Deep inside some rundown cave, surrounded by hate, doomed to my own death. I curl up, body clinched in a closing fist of anxiety. Tighter does it squeeze all around as my mind becomes a swirl. Careening through my thoughts, bouts of anguish. Fear. Doubt. Regret. What have I gotten myself into?

As I drown in dread for the days of now, everything settles as I put fear to the curb. But I ask myself, is fear now any different than in the life I used to face? Rather than it being of the life, the knowing that my plug would be pulled the second I was no longer needed? At least here, I have purpose beyond being a one-time use. It’s ironic that now, I mean more in the eyes of the enemy than I ever did to a human.

I sit up, daze of wake fading as I take in what's around me. Sat in a dark room, alone; the two bunks with mine are empty. Is it day? Is it night? Who could tell without a look at the open sky? Twilight and Ivory must be up already. Busy in their chasm of conjury I assume. Working out what to do next, and when to send me out to find the next Element. I get up, already as dressed as I need to be, and head out the door.

I look both ways. Not a soul in sight. An aural shroud is all around, as the only thing to make noise are my thoughts bouncing off the walls. At the top of the stairs, back into the main caves, I still hear nor see a thing. No chuttering of welders, no clicking of pickaxing - it all seems far to still from what it was before. I come to the end of the hall, and stop at the first distant noise my attuned ears receive. The clotting of hooves against stone, down some far-off hall. Coming towards me, in a hurry. There’s two sets, both galloping. But who’s could they be? Where are they headed? Why are they running?

They grow loud as they are upon me. Dandy Lion tears around a corner, running crossways down the hall in front of me. “Help!” He screams as he passes. “Somepony help me!” Hot on his heels, the same teen runt I bumped with in the hall yesterday. “Get back here!” he shouts in pursuit.

As the runt passes, I catch him by the scruff of his neck and raise him up to my eyes. “Hey! What are you doing! Let me go!” He flails and kicks at my face, but I just hold him there, high off the ground.

“Just where do you think you’re running to?” I ask with menace. “Didn’t you learn anything after our little run in yesterday?”

“H-Hey! Not cool! L-Let me go!”

I drop him hard to the ground. He falls flat, and I get him on his hooves with a boot back the way he came. “Get back to your parents, kid.” I say, knowing full well of their fate. He glares to me with spite like a spotlight in his eyes, until he disappears around a corner.

Dandy Lion trots to me. “Wow, you really saved me! I guess I owe you twice now, huh?”

“Uhh..?” I groan. Never had much experience dealing with kids. He follows me as I wander through the halls. “Sure, kid.”

“Come on! There’s gotta be something I can do for you!”

“..Thanks. But you don’t owe me anything.”

“That rock was the last thing I had. Do you still have it?”

“Yep.” I pull it from my pocket. His eyes beam to see his so called hero still toting around his precious gift.

And so we go on, my mind half on Dandy’s words and half on finding where the hell everyone is at.

“-- And I’m pretty sure that Cinnamon Swirl is hiding an entire stash of gems somewhere!” Dandy finishes. “My friend Button Mash and I have been trying to find it for days, but she suuure is smart about where she hides it.”

“Right, right.. Say, Dandy, where’s everybody at?”

“They’re all in line for breakfast.”

Ah, breakfast. Of course. So it is morning. Having a decent night of sleep has me all turned around. I head for the cafeterium, and Dandy goes on with his child-rambling.

“My mom’s the one in charge of handing out all the food. She mostly does it by herself.”

“Why aren’t you over there with everyone else then?”

“I usually eat whenever I want. I guess I’m lucky that way. But I’m not the only, I give out snacks at least twice a day. That’s why Stryder was chasing me, he tried to beat me up over getting more to eat.”

Strange. They have so much food that seems to appear from nowhere. I may not grasp farming, but it sure feels like they have more food than conditions would allow. “Where does all of your food come from?”

“It’s a family secret. I’m not supposed to tell anypony.”

“Anypony eh? Well I’m no pony, and you trust me, right?”

“Yeah! Of course! But I can’t tell you, I can’t even tell my best friend.”

Guess I’ll just have to find out on my own. If I could uncover yet another one of their secrets, it sure would beat the hell out of living on scraps thrown my way.

We come to Hazelbloom’s stall. A line stretches far from the counter. It looks like every pony is here waiting for their morning meal. I coax Dandy away, and he goes off to find Button Mash. As I reach the end of the queue, the stall doors swing open and meals are served one by one. I watch Hazelbloom. Every time she serves a meal, she goes back into some hidden room to fetch the next. It’s always something that looks fresh off the vine. Carrots, lettuce, daisies - The more I watch, the more the mystery grows. And the hungrier I become. When it’s my turn, I get what I usually do - some old rotten thing that would be better left in the garbage. But that’s okay, I’ll find out her secret soon enough.

I sit down with the usual crowd. I chat with Duke and Twinkle, share a smile with Fluttershy, but my mind is always on what’s behind that stall. I know I’m out to find a spy, but for now I can put that on the back burner. I wait for everyone to clear out, until I find myself alone. Not long after, Hazelbloom and Dandy Lion leave the stall and go off to do.. whatever. My chance is now, might as well take it. What could they punish me with that I haven’t gotten already?

I come to the door. Look left, look right, I give it a tug. Locked. But I play the devil of curiosity’s advocate, and this won’t stop me. I give it another tug, slowly pulling harder and harder until it cracks free from the frame. The crack is loud, it echoes throughout and stuns me in place. “Ssshit.” But as I stand, looking foolish as I stair at the broken handle, no one comes. At least this time, both of my feet are firm, and one is not stuck through some hole I was dumb enough to make. I slip inside.

And, inside.. Just another empty cavern. No other doors, no other halls, just an open space full of nothing. My mouth drops, and my head fills with fog.

There has to be something! You mean to tell me all this food comes from thin air!? I mean, I get they’re magic and all and that’s not unrealistic, but they can’t even use it!

My thoughts cut short as something flashy in the room captures my mind. A smoothness along the floor, a perfect plane of gray as wide as it is long. Flat like a polished sheet of steel. It almost takes a careful eye to see it is the ceiling staring back at itself. But as I peer over its surface, my own self eclipsing its mirrored gaze, I find no reflection of my own. Only a perfect picture of the rock above, no matter how I dance around. I reach down to touch the mystery material.

“What are you doing?” asks a voice like ice. I freeze, my lonesome finger an inch from the surface. There, in the doorway I had intruded, Hazelbloom. She stands staring, looking curious without concern. She asks again, sternly.

“Welp.. you caught me.” I say. But she’s quite. I’d expect her to be furious, she hasn't shown to be very fond of me. “...You’re not mad?” I ask.

“Pfft, no. I don’t blame you. I haven’t exactly been kind to you.. and that’s my fault.” She bravely joins me at my side, and stares into the polish at herself.

“You came here looking for food.. didn’t you?” But her words carry off on a breeze as I puzzle myself. She sees her own reflection, and I see it too. But still nothing of my own.

“What is this?” I ask.

“It’s a mirror pool.”

“A.. Mirror pool?”

“Yeah, it's almost like a portal to another world. Only it's more like a reflection of what you want versus what you have. They’re very rare, there’s only five of them in the whole world.

I reach again to touch it.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea!” she says. Again, I'm stopped.

“Why is that a bad idea?”

“Umm..” With a soft smile, she points to her horn.

“Right..” I sigh. “Another one of your magic only things.”

“Well it’s just to be safe. I don’t think anypony knows what would happen if someone with no magic touched it. These things can cause a lot of trouble, you know.”

“Trouble? What is it? How does it work?”

“Like I said, it's kind of a portal that bridges what you have with what you want. Here, let me show you.” She reaches in. The surface ripples like water, and almost as if her reflection handed it to her, she pulls out a whole head of lettuce. That’s actually exactly what happened. Another version of herself, on the other side, traded what she wanted, food, with what she had, nothing. I’m stunned.

But she hands me the lettuce. “Here. Sorry for.. not being as fair to you as I could have been. I was just afraid that if anypony saw me treating you well, they’d look at me weird.”

I snatch the lettuce, and scarf it down like I hadn't eaten in days. Each bite a crunch with flooding flavor. It’s gone in seconds. “How could this ever be trouble!” I shout. “This is anything you want, whenever, for free!”

“Well, not everypony uses these correctly. And it has its limits. Not long ago, a mare named Pinkie Pie used it to clone herself like a thousand times. All of them shouting “Fun! Fun! Fun!” ugh it was a disaster! The town could barely handle just one of her. But that’s why it’s a secret. Twilight would only trust a humble food grower to use it, so, that’s where I come in.”

I gaze back into the pool. Something about not being able to see myself is almost.. existential. A mirror is something unmisted by cruelty or justice. It is honest and above all, exact. I know where I stand in this world, I’ve done more than left my mark. But here I am, staring at silver, looking back at nothing. It makes me wonder, what is my purpose? What am I?

Come to think of it, I haven’t seen my own reflection in over a decade. Mirrors, like names, were something we never had, to rid us of Self. But I remember one day, when I was 12. The first time I had ever seen myself. I can’t imagine what I look like now, or how I’ve aged. All I know is, I have blue eyes. I see them every time I peer down my rifle scope. It makes me feel.. well.. I’m not sure how I feel about knowing the only face I’ve never seen is my own.

“Want some more?” Hazelbloom chimes. It brings be back to the moment.

“No.” I say. “Thanks, but I’ve spent enough time here. I’ve got someone to find.”

“Well, if you’re ever hungry, just find myself or my son, Dandy. I’m sure you know each other, he talks about you nonstop.”

We head out together, but I stop to look back. Hazelbloom carries on while temptation taps my shoulder. It calls me to the pool. Just one touch, one try. What could go wrong?

I kneel at the mirror’s edge, thinking of what I want. But with so much in my head at once, its hard to hear the voice that cries the loudest. I’ll start with something simple. An apple.

I reach out. Not even my shadow exists over the plain. And like metal, my hand stops, pressed flat against the surface.

Shame. But nonetheless, very intriguing.

I step out back into the hall. Without even an inch covered, I’m greeted by a voice. “Hey Jax!”

A familiar voice, it’s none other than Duke again. His friendly smile greets me as I turn to face him, feeling caught in the headlights. “Oh, hello. I didn’t see you there.” It was as if he was waiting for me.

“It’s all fine man. What were you doing in there?”

In there’s a closely guarded secret, apparently. Best not to tell him. “Just talking. Finally had a chance to get to know Hazelbloom.”

“She say anything?”

He seems laser focused on something. “..No, it was just a friendly chat. Say, how did you find me here anyway?”

“Oh pfft, you’re not hard to find. Keeping track of things is kind of my specialty. In a way, at least. It’s not what I’m reaallyy good at but it’s a neat skill to have.”

Hmm.

“Anyway,” he goes on. “Twilight wanted me to find you. She wants to talk to you about something down in the Sanctum.”

“Does she now?” Boy does she like to keep me busy. “She say what for?”

“Nah. S’probably not important. But go ahead and swing by when you get a chance.”

“Well I’ve got nothing better to do. I’m at a dead end anyway. I’ll head there now.”

“Alright man! See ya around. Best not to keep Twilight waaaiitiing. If you need me, I’ll be over in the nursery.”

Always such a chipper fellow. But something seems a little off about him. Like his kindness is a cover for something. I should keep my eye on him a little more, he might be the spy I’m looking for.

I wander through the halls, as half lost and half certain as usual. All the twists and all the tunnels, it’s a wonder these ponies don’t get lost themselves. Or maybe they do, and there’s just nothing better to do but be lost. I have to stop and ask for directions. I ask Lemon Hearts. Though timid in my presence, she’s kind enough to point out the right way, or at least what I hope to be it. I never know with these Equine. Never know what’s really at the back of their minds about me. Some are resentful at a glance, but kinder hearted one on one. Like Hazelbloom. Or they’re just the opposite, and there’s everything in between. But still, no reason to blame them. If anything it perplexes me more to see them approach me with open arms than when they naturally close themselves to my world. It speaks a lot about our differences. Their kind is much more tolerant than mine. Everybody seems to be everybody’s friend, and not, just another person to brush shoulders with.

Eventually I find myself on the right path. But it’s not long before I run into another roadblock. This time I find Stryder yet again. He leans, his back to the wall, indifference in his eyes. He acts uncaring as I approach, so I stop. What could he be up to now.

He breathes in slowly, and his head slumps over my way. “You know, it’s not very kind what you did earlier.” He says.

“I don’t suppose chasing down the young and helpless is much different.” I reply.

“Kid had it coming. He’s got stuff I want. That’s just the kind of world we live in now, because of you. Ponies fighting ponies for whatever they can get their hooves on.”

“..What’s this all about, runt?”

“I really don’t like that word. Be nice if you addressed me properly, we might let you go passed if you did.”

Suddenly three others, all his age, join him at his side. They stare me down as they form a wall to block me. I meet their gazes one by one, all their faces fixed with frothing fury. “Me and my friends? None of us take too kindly to you being here.”

“What is this? Some sort of gang?”

They all squat down, ready for a fight.

“You kids have no idea what you’re about to get into.” I say. “.. Where are your parents?”

“We don’t know. Why don’t you tell us what you did with them!” one shouts.

“We’re gunna teach you a lesson!” shouts another.

I’m reluctant to get into this brawl. They’re all so young, so misguided. They barely have a chance as it is. But I stand my ground. “Look.. If you try what you’re thinking of doing, it won’t end well for anyone. You attack me and you won’t believe what happens next, even while it’s happening. Turn around. Go home. Save yourselves, and stay out of my way.”

They too hold their home ground against me. We all keep ourselves planted, squared up. I look them over, my gaze hunting for that first flinch, that first contraction in their tiny muscles for the first attack. The hairs on my neck stand up. I’m just as afraid to hurt them as I am ready to. I raise my fists.

They only hunker down more. They’re waiting for me.

“I’d hate to do this to you.” I say.

“It’s been a long time coming, Human.” says Stryder. “We’ve been waiting to get back at you since this whole thing started. And now we can. One of you against four of us. We’re not about to waste this..”

“So you won’t let me pass?”

No response. Only faces of hate.

A bead of sweat rolls off Stryder's cheek. His breaths become fast.

I take one step, one inch. But they hold.

I take one more. A full foot forward.

Stryder raises a hoof.. And sets it behind him.

Now they all look shaken. In the same instant, they share the same mood. They see I’m bigger and badder than they thought. Each of them slowly, carefully, take a step back.

“Good choice.” I whisper. I tread forward, locked on. They hold, but I sense their fear. They’ve paralyzed themselves. Soon I’m passing right between them, and get by without issue. My senses still hunt for what they do next.

A stone scrapes across the floor. I hear the woosh of it being thrown, and time slows to a crawl.

Listen. Wait. Anticipate.

I pluck the stone out of the air just behind my head. I crush it between my fingers, letting the dust fall as a warning. And that’s the end. I carry on towards the sanctum without a word.