Mirror Image

Well, it's certainly been a while since I've updated this story. The plan was to focus on Mated For Life, but I've found myself thinking about this saga for a while now.

And seeing that the chapters are not that long, and shouldn't take me a half a day to write…

Well, here we are and here we go.

Begin!

The Man In The Mirror

Alex Pov

There was something off about that mirror.

I couldn't stop looking at it. I'm not a vain man, truly I'm not. But as I looked at my reflection, a sound, a voice…something, someone laughing filled the room.

Or perhaps just my head.

"You're not that pretty honey."

The sound of Cadance's voice snapped me out of my trance, the amused looking mare peering over her book at me. I could see the touch of a grin as I looked at her eyes.

"Oh I don't know, I think I rate pretty high," I joked, smiling as she closed the book at put it down on the table beside her chair.

"With me, oh absolutely," she agreed, grinning mischievously at the made her way over. "But I've been known to pity charity cases, so I'm somewhat biased."

Clutching at my chest, I put on my most offended looking expression. "You wound me Cadance. Oh my poor heart, how will it ever recover from such-"

Whatever I was about to say was interrupted as I was suddenly yanked down and kissed rather forcefully, though I'd be lying if I didn't also add lovingly.

"And how is that poor heart now?" she crooned, smirking at my flushed expression. "All better?"

"I don't know," I pondered, grinning somewhat cheekily at her. "It still aches, I may need more than one kiss."

Her eyes flashed and her lips quivered with amusement, her smirk widening into a grin at my words.

"Oh, I assure you that I am most happy to accommodate," she flirted, her lips but a breath away as she looked deep into my eyes. "How about you take those clothes off and I'll see what else I can kiss."

'Well, that did it.'

She looked down, her grin suddenly salacious as she looked back up, her eyes smouldering.

"If you give me a few minutes, I can come back with some whipped cream," she whispered.

"Didn't we get told off for that last time?" I asked, remembering the long line of servants Mom had to give a raise too after the jam incident.

Cadance giggled. "We're using cream this time, it's easy to get off the sheets. Now lose those clothes and pose in bed, I want a laugh when I come back."

"You wound me sometimes."

"You can't complain," she said, slapping my thigh lightly. "You laugh when I do it."

"You look like a beached whale when you try to pose." I replied, smirking as her eyes narrowed. "Nothing like one of those magazine models."

"Well they're paid to look good, where's my money?"

"You'll get it tomorrow."

"You always say that."

We looked at each other for a few moments before falling apart with laughter, leaning on each other for a minute as we tried to regain our composure.

"Al-Alright, get in that bloody bed," Cadance chuckled, wiping away a tear as she smiled at me. "I'm going to get the cream."

I opened my mouth.

"And if you make one joke about already having cream, I swear I'll ruin your orgasm."

I closed my mouth.

"Good colt," she teased, smiling. "Bed, now."

"Yes ma'am!"

I saluted and bowed, enjoying her squirming as I glanced up and winked. She hated it when anyone bowed to her, something I distinctly recalled doing often before…before…

The memory came…the memory faded as magic pushed it back…

"Bed, gotchya!" I quipped, sitting on the bed and smirking as she rolled her eyes.

"Colts, I swear…"

She gave me one more look, my smile reciprocated before she went to the door.

"You know you love me!" I yelled, enjoying myself for a moment as she looked back and narrowed her eyes. "Don't give me that look, you know you do. Come on I can see you trying not to smil- oh yeah, there it is."

Having lost the battle to keep glaring at me, my now rather amused marefriend shook her head and giggled albeit rather exasperatedly.

"Let's see who's laughing after I edge you for a few hours," she said quietly, somewhat more to herself than me as she opened the door and began to hum cheerfully.

She shut the door behind her happily as she trotted down the corridor, but the noise, the humming, her humming became nothing more than faded noise.

"Oh, I'm going to pay for that later," I mused, about to take off my top only to find my attention stolen by something just out of sight. "What the…"

The mirror on Cadance's vanity…it seemed to…to almost call…to me.

"Just ignore it, Alex," I told myself, fighting for only a moment before suddenly walking over to it. "No, try to remember. Something happened this morning, at breakfast. I…I can't remember what but…maybe this mirror…"

I looked at the mirror and took a step back.

As my reflection glared back at me.

"Who are you?" I asked. "Am I dreaming?"

My reflection did not copy my words, my movements. He merely cocked his head, eyes narrowing as he pointed at me.

"You're me?" I mumbled, frown deepening. "I don't understand...I must be hallucinating or something."

'Just stop, Alex. Go back to the bed, get ready for Cadance. This is all in your head, this isn't real. Cadance is real, I am real. This isn't…I shouldn't…'

I moved closer, peering into the mirror...only to jump back in fright as my reflection punched it on his side, cracking it.

"Jesus Christ!" I yelled, watching my stoic reflection only to suddenly realize just what I'd said. "Wait...who's Jesus Christ?"

I blinked, looking down...then up...then at my suddenly very afraid looking reflection.

To which I quite happily grinned at.

"Finally," I breathed, chuckling under my breath. "Freedom."

My reflection began to pound away at the mirror, fear in his eyes as he quickly realized that it wasn't doing a thing.

"Sorry mate," I apologized, watching somewhat amused as his eyes widened in shock. "Yeah I know, we don't have the same accent. I am you though…or rather you're me. I came first."

He shook his head furiously and looked around, but as I knew and had known for an exceptionally long time, there was no escape.

"Sorry," I said again, smiling with pity. "But I've had a very long time to think about what I'd do if I ever got out. We'll have a talk later about this, just…hang tight, okay?"

I put the mirror on its face and turned around, looking down at my body and frowning as I took it all in.

"My damn abs…God damnit," I muttered, touching my toned but unfortunately ab-less stomach sadly. "I worked for years to get them just right and he eats it all away."

'My love…'

Suddenly I clutched at my head, almost losing my balance as a face, a kind, loving, wonderful, beautiful face came to the forefront of my mind.

"Luna…" I breathed, eyes widening. "How could I forget about Luna?"

I looked down at my hands, clenching them into fists as anger took root very quickly.

"Celestia's damn spell!" I spat, grinding my teeth together as I slapped myself on the head sharply. "Agh, no time! Have to find her, I have to find Luna!"

My trivial concerns forgotten, I made to walk over to the door and nearly lost my balance as I tripped over myself.

"Okay, it's been a while since I've had to walk," I muttered, stretching my legs for a few moments before walking again, albeit slower than before. "There we go."

I opened the door and continued my slow, careful pace down the corridor…only to stop and look at the numerous rooms and stairs in disbelief.

"I'm never going to find her…" I muttered, turning around, and frowning before turning back and quickening my pace a tad. "Just ask a guard, shouldn't be unusual for me to ask where she is, right?"

Turning a corridor, I found one standing guard outside a room and smiled.

"Excuse me," I began, wincing as I tried my best to sound like…well, me.

"Sir?" he inquired, his steely gaze softening somewhat as he looked at me. "Is all well, do you require your mother?"

"My…oh. No, no good sir," I replied, trying with all my willpower not to groan as my accent peaked through. "Wait, why do you ask me that?"

The guard frowned and spoke slowly. "This is her room sir."

I looked at the room he was guarding, realization hitting me as I grasped that of course it was her room with it being the only one I'd seen with a guard outside it.

"Ah," I said, groaning internally at how dumb I sounded.

"Are you well, sir?" The guard asked, peering up at me with concern. "You don't sound quite right."

"Bit of a cold," I lied, smiling, and trying not to panic as his eyes narrowed. "In any case, you don't happen to know where Luna's room is, do you?"

The guard blinked but nodded. "She's just down the corridor sir. The last door. She requested that nopony guard it, so don't look for one sir."

"Thanks mate."

"That's…sir?"

I turned, wincing, and fighting the urge to groan at my accent as I walked rather quickly down the corridor.

'Why do they all have to sound American?'

After a minute I reached the door, suddenly very nervous as I made to knock…and stopped, looking at the door in a frozen moment.

"I'm…scared," I mumbled, looking at my trembling fist. "I…what if she doesn't think I'm me. What if she…"

But then before I could mutter another word, before I could panic and tremble with nerves that wouldn't cease.

The door opened.

And she stood there, her eyes snapping from the floor to me in surprise as she almost bumped into me.

"Alex?"

Her voice…oh, her voice.

I'd almost forgotten it, forgotten her youthful, kind, lovely, caring voice.

She still looked the same, perhaps a bit smaller than before. But she looked the same.

She was still so beautiful.

"Alex, are you okay?" she asked, looking at me with concern as I just stared at her.

"Oh…I'm uh, I'm more than okay," I replied, my eyes roaming up and down her body as if starved.

But then again, they were…I was.

And the more I looked at her, the more she looked at me as our eyes finally met and something, something clicked behind hers.

Her smile grew wide, her eyes dancing with happiness.

"Xander?" she whispered, breathing the word, the name.

My name.

"Moonflower," I whispered back, delighting in her gasp as her eyes filled with tears.

Before any more could be said however, she looked down both ends of the empty corridor and gestured for me to come inside, closing the door behind me when I did so.

Her room was dark, though lit with candles that showed the varied objects and large bed with surprising ease. But they were barely a thought in my mind, they were barely anything at all.

I turned and looked at Luna, tears trickling down her face as she came closer.

"How is this possible?" she asked, lips trembling as our eyes met. She shook her head before I could answer however and gave me a deliriously happy smile. "No, I don't care! Xander it's you!"

She all but jumped on me and kissed me, laughing through it as I reached around and held her to me. Her tears intermixed, the salty taste noticeable but I cared little as I returned her desperate kiss with my own.

I ignored my own tears, I couldn't bring myself to focus on anything other than her, her taste, her touch. Not even for a moment.

She drew back for a moment, an almost ludicrously happy expression on her face before she kissed me again and again, giggling through the entire thing.

"Oh, oh it's you, it's you, it's really you!" she said, half laughing, half sobbing as she held me to her. "You remembered your silly song this morning, but I didn't dare to dream that you'd come back to me so soon."

"Celestia trapped me in my own head, Luna," I said, ignoring how weak I sounded in that moment. "I…was young again, and I saw through my own eyes but I couldn't do or say anything. Not until I saw you, the real you."

"Xander…"

"The moment I realized you were there, that you were back. I knew I had to fight with everything I had, everything I was to break free. I had to come back to you."

She touched my face and nuzzled me softly, kissing away a tear trickling down my cheek.

"Every time I kissed that mare, touched her…slept with her, I felt like I was betraying you. I screamed and cried for me to stop, for him to stop but he never heard me."

"It wasn't you, Xander," she soothed, shushing me as I opened my mouth. "Her spell did more than make you young, it split you away from yourself. The you that loved that mare…Cadance, the you that loved her was never you."

"Split personality bullshit," I chuckled, getting a giggle from her in return. "Luna, let's run away."

She looked at me in shock for a moment, but a smile that danced in her gaze met me as she nodded.

"I never wanted to be a Princess again," she said, pushing her body as close to mine as she could, evidently enjoying the sensation. "I only told Celestia what she wanted to hear so I could get you back."

"Then let's run away," I said again, unable to stop myself from kissing her. "We'll go somewhere far away from here and just be together."

She nodded, smile so happy I thought she would burst. But then a frown, light but a frown still appeared on her face.

"What is it?" I asked, worried.

"I thought you'd want revenge," she admitted, looking at me strangely. "I was trapped in the moon, but you were trapped in your own body. Forced to watch as you loved another, as you grew to love Celestia as a mother. I'm just…I'm just surprised that you don't want to get some form of revenge. You've always had that mentality, Xander."

She wasn't wrong, I had always been a hit first, talk later kind of man. But…

"I hate your sister with everything I am," I said, my anger quite clear in my tone. "She trapped you in the moon, she hurt you. She changed me into a man I don't know and took me away from you. I want to hurt her, but I want to be free with you far more than that."

Her expression changed from anger for me, hurt for me, to happy for us.

"You've grown," she said, kissing me lightly on the lips.

"I've had nothing but that to think about all these years. I love you far more than I hate Celestia, you will always come before anything to do with her."

Her eyes shone, a lone tear caught, fighting to break free and fall.

"I love you, Xander," she said, looking at me with so much affection I honestly found myself speechless. "You will always come first for me too. I love you more than anything in the world."

"And I you."

We kissed again and again, my clothes rippling with magic as they were taken from me.

It was a dance we'd done before.

Clothes hit the floor, hooves and hands touched, caressed as our lips too caressed the other.

She looked at me and I her, her eyes dancing with joy, smile open and happy as we became one in that moment. We moved against the other, kissing and smiling. Noises escaping the both of us as our mutual pleasure grew and grew until it hit its peak.

I smiled as she shook beneath me, clutching at me, smiling so widely, with so much joy as I groaned and joined her in bliss.

The dance ended, the two of us breathing heavily but happily we bathed in the afterglow.

"That was incredible," she whispered, nuzzling my chest as she lay her head atop it, breathing in my scent. "You were wonderful."

"As were you," I replied, holding her close and enjoying the feel of her coat on my skin.

"I love you."

"And I you."

…

The door opened with a bang, shocking the two of us out of our respective bliss as we sat up and looked over at it.

A mare was standing there, staring at us with shock so identical I almost laughed at the silliness of it.

But then her eyes filled with tears, her ears flattening against her skull as she spoke a name with such hurt.

"A-Alex…"

I frowned, but as the last vestige of our lovemaking left me, a name, a face, one I'd watched for years through my own eyes suddenly came to me.

And then I remembered…and then I looked at her.

"Ah," I uttered, my eyes closing for a moment as I heard Luna sigh sadly behind me. "You're Cadance."

"W-What?" she replied, stammering the word. "I…of course I am. A-Alex what's…why…"

Tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Cadance," I said, honestly sorry for the mare as she all but broke down in front of me. "Alex isn't here anymore."

Her eyes widened, but then anger took root as she looked at the mare behind me.

"You!" she cried, fury wrapped in her tone. "What have you done to him?!"

The room shook a little at her voice, my heart beginning to race as I prepared myself for a fight.

"I have done nothing," Luna replied, moving from behind me and to my side, looking at Cadance sympathetically. "I told you before that I wasn't lying. There was never an Alex, only Xander."

"No!" she cried, shaking her head furiously. "You're lying! You've enchanted him, magic affects him now. You've enchanted him to be this Xander, you…you've made love to him."

Her voice teetered out as she finished, quiet tears trickling down her cheeks as she looked at the two of us.

"How could you do this?" she whimpered, my heart twisting painfully…a scream in my head. "He's my…and you…"

"Cadance," I said, drawing her attention off of Luna. "She speaks truth. I'm sorry about all of this, I truly am. But Alex…he's me, but I'm not him. My name is Xander, I came to Equestria a very long time ago."

"You don't even sound like him…" she whispered, moving closer only to move back, unable, unsure what to do. "It's a trick Alex, you can't believe it. You have to fight it. She's trying to make you someone you're not, she's trying to steal our love from us."

"I loved her long before the man you think you know, loved you," I said, ignoring the ache in my chest as she shook her head, lips trembling, eyes filled with tears. "Do not blame Luna for this. This is all on Celestia."

"That's a lie!" Cadance refuted.

"It's the truth," I countered, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, Luna quick to join me as she watched Cadance warily.

"Is it?"

The voice I knew, the voice I hated more than anything else brought with it the mare I hated above all others.

Celestia stood behind Cadance, looking at the crying mare for a bare moment before turning her attention onto Luna.

And then me.

"Alex?" she asked, clearly wincing when I returned her word with a look that could melt metal. "Alex are you still in there?"

She moved in front of Cadance and made to come closer.

Luna was out of the bed before I could stop her, standing in front of me protectively, her horn alight as she glared at her sister with more distaste than I thought possible.

"You will never tear us apart again!" she hissed, wings spread out.

"You lied to me," Celestia said sadly, looking between the both of us. "Everything you said about being a family again. It was all a lie?"

"Do not presume you have some moral high ground to stand upon, sister," Luna spat, her tone almost mocking if not for the rage behind it. "You locked me in the moon. You trapped Xander in his own body, made him a child again, made him grow up and love another as if HE DIDN'T ALREADY HAVE ME!"

"Luna please!" Celestia pleaded, eyes filling up with tears. "I've changed, I swear that I've changed. The mare I was, was a horrible disgusting, selfish creature. I'm not her anymore!"

"Then you should have reversed the spell as soon as you found him again!"

"I couldn't, magic didn't work on him then!" she cried. "So I raised him as best I could. I gave him a good life, I gave him love and he found the love of another. He was happy!"

"HE WAS MINE!" Luna screamed, the room shaking with much more force then Cadance had managed. "I am his, he is mine! You had no right to make him love another, you had no right not to tell him the truth! To tell EITHER of them the truth!"

Cadance was looking between the both of them, then finally at Celestia with what could only have been betrayal.

"Aunty?"

Celestia looked at her and frowned sadly, closing her eyes.

"Is she…is this true?"

She said nothing, Cadance's eyes widening for a moment before more tears fell down her cheeks.

"No…" she whimpered, looking at all of us, her gaze settling on me. "Please no. No, no, no, no."

'Cadance…'

I frowned…

Then looked at Luna.

Then Celestia.

Then Cadance.

…and then I blinked, staggering back and almost tripping over myself as I landed on my arse, the bed thankfully catching me.

"Xander?" Luna asked, worry in her eyes as she looked at me, said eyes widening as a second passed.

I looked at her, then Celestia, then Cadance.

The smallest mare looked at me, her own eyes widening as they met mine, recognition clear within them as the tiniest smile grew on her face.

"Alex?"

Celestia blinked, looking at me sharply.

Luna gasped, pulling away for a moment.

My breathing grew erratic, frantic, my head beginning to pound, then hurt, and hurt and hurt!

I stood up and quickly threw my pants on, before bolting past and ignoring the lot of them as they all shouted my name.

Name…names…name…

I reached my, her, mine, our…room and shut the door behind me, locking it.

Looking over at Cadance's vanity, I rushed over and lifted up the mirror that had been face down, looking at my reflection, watching, waiting…

As it looked back without motion from me, a look of surprise on the man's face.

His face.

My face.

Our face.

Who was I?

And that'll do it, enjoy nerds!

Cya, stay snuggly :D