Remnant's Twilight Rose

“Progress report,” Celestia states bluntly, looking over a group of six unicorns and two Pegasi, each with ashamed looks on their faces. One of them, a green coated and white-maned stallion named Hard Cover stepped forward.

“Unfortunately your highness, we have looked at almost every book in the archives, the public, and restricted sections as well, but the only mention about the mirror portal was in the two books written by Starswirl the Bearded that you gave us. I am sorry princess, but there is not much else we can do.” He explains remorsefully.

The princess nodded and placed a gentle smile on her face, looking towards her little ponies.

“Even in spite of this, less than stellar news, you have my thanks, my little ponies. You will be compensated for this endeavor. You’re dismissed.” She says, each of the ponies bowing and leaving the library. The princess waits a few moments before teleporting to her room.

There was a full minute that passed in silence as Celestia cast a soundproofing spell over her already sound dampening room, removed her regalia and took a deep breath before all but blowing up with a scream of rage and despair.

It had been just over six months since the changeling invasion. Six months since Canterlot was nearly taken over by love sapping insectoid. Six months since the Elements of Harmony were put in jeopardy because of their own ambitions. Six months since the wedding of the century was interrupted.

Six months since Twilight Sparkle ran away.

After learning of the seriousness of the events, and waking up her sister who somehow slept through the Invasion, Celestia immediately went to work to restore order and a sense of safety to her ponies. All the while promising answers to a certain group of ponies, changelings and a dragon.

It took a whole 24 hours before Canterlot was brought back to some measure of its original peace, and even then it was strained with the paranoia of shapeshifters that may still lurk among the populace. Celestia had brought the remaining element bearers, Spike, Shining Armor, Cadence, Night Light, Twilight Velvet, Bon Bon, and the changelings into the throne room and explained just what the plan was from then on.

“So how do we open the portal?” Rainbow asks bluntly, the ponies looking worried at the faces of despair on the royal sisters' faces.

“We can’t.” Luna answer, just as bluntly.

“WHAT?!” Several voices sound out, only for them to be silenced by a shoe-clad hoof slamming on the ground. Rather than say anything, Celestia steps up and unfurls her wings, gaining all attention drawn to her and begins to explain.

“You see my little ponies, that mirror portal is something our old mentor, Starswirl the bearded, created as an experiment to look into the past and future. The results were not what he was expected, as the mirror allows one to travel to one of four different worlds.”

“Four? I thought the portal could only allow access to two worlds?” Thorax questions, still in his Bladed Wind disguise.

“It was only discovered after the first few years of the portal's creation. You see, the portal was set to a time limit by Starswirl. The portal would only stay open for three days and would open every thirty moons. As you saw, there is a symbol on the top of the mirror, that actually changes every time they open.”

Celestia lite her horn and summons four different images into the air. One of them was familiar to all present, the six-pointed star of magic. That caused many to flinch in shame.

“The first is one you all should recognize. Starswirl believed that going through the portal when this symbol was present, would take you to an alternate version of Equestria. The other three, however, would bring you to an entirely different world altogether.”

That caused everypony present to do a double take and take a good look at the symbols as Celestia pointed them out. The first was the image of two green axes, crossing each other, with plants along the bottom and wrapping into a circle. The second was a simple circle with the top part being red and the bottom being white, with a line through it and another circle in the center. The third and final symbol was of a yellow circle inside a gear, with three black triangles within it, another circle at the center.

“That one. That’s the symbol that was on the mirror when Twilight left.” Thorax states, looking at the symbol of the axes. Celestia and Luna frown at that piece of information.

“That’s was I was afraid of.” The solar diarch mumbles.

“What do you mean princess? Is that world dangerous?” Fluttershy question in worry.

“We don’t know. Starswirl may have created the portal, but since he discovered they led to different worlds, he never actually entered any of them for fear of merging our worlds. What we can tell you, however, is that the mirror actually rotates through the symbols, and thus, the worlds every time it opens.” Luna explains. It took a moment before somepony understood what it meant.

“You mean, if we want to get Twilight back, we have to wait until the mirror goes through these other worlds?!” Lyra yells, barely held back by Bon Bon. Even though she was in her unicorn form, Lyra was still as large as Princess Luna for some reason.

“Unfortunately, yes. We cannot rewind the rotation of the mirror, and our old teacher never really told us much about how it works in the first place. We only know that the rotation goes from the star to the axes, to the orb, to the hazard symbols and then back to the star.” Celestia explains.

“Ok so, we just have to wait for the mirror to return to the axes. So, just how long are thirty moons? A month?” Spike asks with some hope in his eyes. Hope that was dashed when he saw the princesses shaking their head.

“It means, every thirty full moons.” There was a stunned silence as the realization hit everyone present. After a couple of seconds, Twilight Velvet stepped forward, a seemingly calm look on her face. But if one was to look closer, they could see her shaking on the spot.

“You mean to tell me, that the only way to see my daughter. Is to wait. For the portal to rotate through the worlds. Until it reaches the one with the axes in 10 YEARS?!?!” Velvet screams at the top of her lungs, everyone, even the princesses, flinching from the intensity of a mother.

Velvet just stood there, panting from her scream, the guards outside the door popping their heads in, eyes wide. The duo glance to the princesses, who subtly shake their heads.

“No.” Everyone looked to Celestia again, slightly confused, even Luna. They saw her determined, yet shamed look. “I have failed Twilight for not listening to her when I should have given her the benefit of the doubt. I will bring her back.”

Everyone raised a brow, some confused, some skeptical, but all worried.

“What are you talking about, princess?” Lyra questions.

“Starswirl left two books about the portal in our old library back in the castle of the two sisters. I think he may have left enough information for us to rotate the world selection. It won’t be easy, but I will be having some of the best ponies I know of researching, not just those two books, but the entire library and archives to find a way.”

The princess looked to the window, watching her sun as it lays in the sky.

‘I will find you Twilight. I swear on my magic I will.’

So she started the endeavor, bringing in several members of her personal research team and professors from her school to research both the two books she brought from the old castle, as well as the libraries contents with the hopes of finding a way to alter the mirrors next portal destination.

And yet, time and time again, the princess is left empty hoofed. No matter what book they checked, what spell they experimented with, what theory they thought of, nothing stuck. It had been like this for the six months, just one disappointing failure after the other.

The Element bearers and the changeling-earth pony couple went back to Ponyville after the first month, much to their dismay. The princess had actually not checked on them in a couple of months now, spending every second of her free time trying to figure out just how the portal mirror works. She was not in the best state of mind to try and talk to the bearers, however, especially now.

After Celestia had collapsed on a couch and cried for about five minutes, her sister, niece, future nephew and Thorax ran in, seeing her on the couch near the door, tears continuing to fall from her eyes.

“Auntie Tia, please stop crying,” Cadence says laying down next to Celestia while draping her wing over her aunt. “I know you’re doing everything you possibly can to get Twilight back from the other side of the mirror portal. Shining has been doing everything he can too.”

“It wasn’t just you that drove Twilight to run away Princess. I’m every bit as guilty and even more so as we’d been around Cadence for years and never noticed the change in attitude when Twily did.” Shining Armor said lowering his head in sadness and guilt. “I’m going to every place Starswirl has ever been or visited to see if I can find any information on the portal. Cadence postponed the wedding until we get my sister home safely. I won’t rest until my sister is back home, I swear it on my life.”

“If I’d been there perhaps I would've been able to stop her. I’m so sorry Sister. I know you're doing everything in your power to get your student back and I shall as well. But perhaps you should step back and take a break at least until the Elements return from retrieving Starswirl’s journals. You won’t be able to focus on helping Twilight if you aren’t thinking clearly and I know you haven’t been sleeping more than maybe an hour every few days,” Luna says trying here best to support her sister.

“I’m sorry, all of you. I am so sorry, I just….I miss her. I don’t want to accept that I failed for a third time.” She says, sniffling and wiping her tears away. Her last statement earned raised brows from Shining, Luna, and Thorax, but a frown from Cadence.

“You’re talking about Sunset, aren’t you.” She questions, Celestia visibly tensing and slowly nodding.

“Sunset? Why does that name sound familiar?” Shining wonders with a raised brow.

“It should Shiny. Sunset Shimmer. She was Auntie Tia’s student before Twilight and she’d be around our age now. She was a really sweet pony but she was also a little bit of a loner and somewhat impatient when it came to certain things like magic. When she didn’t get to study the magic that she wanted and wasn’t getting anywhere near the results she desired, Sunset abandoned her studies under Auntie to pursue her own goals but I don’t know anymore. I’d always assumed she left Equestria to go off and wander the world in pursuit of any magical knowledge she found interesting to herself,” Cadence looked to her aunt, the mare in tears once more at the thought of Sunset.

“Now I’m guessing she didn’t just leave Equestria but our world altogether. It actually explains why I never received any letters from her. We weren’t particularly close but we were close enough that I’d say we were friends in some manner of the word,” Cadence looked back to her fiance in sorrow.

“Wait, wasn’t she the amber unicorn filly with the gold and red striped mane, with a half red and half gold sun like cutie mark similar yours Princess Celestia,” Shining said coming to the realization of who Sunset was. “I do remember seeing her around the castle during my day as a palace guard. Are you saying she went through that mirror portal thing as Twilight did.”

“Yes, Captain. Twilight followed Sunset’s example and went through the portal, but I fear for it was for different yet similar reasons. While it was Sunset that went through as a way to get more power, what I suspect now for my attention, or perhaps a fresh start. I fear Twilight only went through the portal to escape the abandonment and betrayal she felt when she thought her friends, family, and teacher turned their backs on her,” Celestia explained, drying her eyes.

“I can’t say I’m completely surprised for some of the reason why Sunset left Princess,” Thorax said in disappointment. “Like Twilight, Sunset probably only ever tried to get the best result to try and earn your respect while you would only ever barely praise her and give her the slightest bit of attention. They were your personal student after all. Did you ever take the time of day to look in on them and actually try and teach them something besides just giving them a lesson and letting them figure stuff out on their own?”

When the princess didn’t answer and lowered her head, the changeling just shook his head with a sigh.

“You know how much Sunset and Twilight respected and loved you, and yet you didn’t try to get too close to them. Why? They were basically your daughters, if Sunset is anything like Twilight, that mare placing you on a pedestal barely above her own mother.” Thorax question, the other curious as well.

“I was afraid.” Celestia begins, glancing to her sister. “I was afraid I would make the same mistake I made with Luna. That I would get too close and end up failing them with it mattered most. I guess it didn’t matter anyway, since it still happened. I was ignorant and arrogant to the pain and loss of those closest to me until it was already too late.”

“Sister, you can’t keep blaming yourself for that. My fall into Nightmare Moon was more so my own fault than yours. I was the one who was jealous, I was the one who didn’t see how much ponies actually rely on me. I was the one who tried to plunge the world into teternal night when that would have been a death sentence for all of our little ponies. You merely did as any ruler would have done.”

Celestia just sniffles, and brings her sister in for a hug, holding her tightly almost looking afraid Luna would vanish at any instant. She was so engrossed in holding her baby sister, she didn’t notice Thorax lighting his horns and casting a sleep spell on the solar Alicorn.

“Get some rest princess. We’ll talk more later.” He says softly as the large mare goes limp in her sister's hooves. Luna is gentle as she levitates the exhausted mare into her bed, giving her a small kiss on the head and covering her before all of them leave the room.

“She is a serious wreck,” Thorax states bluntly, looking to the closed door with worry.

“You can’t exactly blame her. As you said, Twilight and Sunset were basically her daughters, so she probably feels worse than any of us.” Shining says, heading down the hall with the others.

“I would love to say that is probably an overstatement, but you’re right. I could see it, while you and the girls are like a cabin in size of guilt, Celestia is basically the castle in size.” Thorax says with a sigh, rubbing his tired eyes with a hoof.

“Hey, we been meaning to ask, but how are things with getting more reformed changeling to come by?” Luna asks.

“Urg, it's slow going, especially with a bunch of bureaucratic ponies demanding their heads to be mounted on the castle gates. No joke, that was something that was requested.” Cadence says in annoyance, nodding to a duo of guards that she knew were actually changelings in disguise.

“It especially doesn’t help that I can’t contact any who may have been separated from the Chrysalis hive mind by the love wave. I may be the equivalent to a changeling king, but if I haven’t met the changelings, it's kind of a moot point.” Thorax says in exasperation, shaking his head.

“Damn, sorry dude,” Shining says, patting the large changeling on the shoulder. Even though there is still a small part of him that was wary of changelings, it was minuscule compared to the strength of the friendship he had forged with Thorax over the months.

“Yes well, at the very least I am glad we have been able to find who we have. Though, Pharynx could still stand to take some lessons on relaxation.” Cadence says with a slight grimace.

“Sorry, my brother is beyond stubborn when it comes to his job in the hives military as a Gatherer. The fact he even showed up looking for me was shocking in and of itself.” Thorax says, glancing at the training yard far below them, seeing a speck of black and purple chitin going against four ponies.

“You know, is a weird way, I kinda respect him. He got cut off from the hive, and his first reaction wasn’t to return, but to look for you. That shows how protective of you he is, even if he is a prick at times.” Shining says, wincing as he sees Pharynx dodge a spear thrust from a pegasus and buck said stallion in the gut.

“We do not know what thou art speaking about. We’ve found Sir Pharynx to be an excellent addition to the guard and a great sparring partner.” Luna says, grinning at the changeling's moves and his directions of the guards.

“And you would say that.” Cadence and Thorax mumble.

“How has Spike been Cadence? I was really surprised when he became your personal assistant. Did he ask you for the position?” Thorax asked in curiosity.

“He’s been doing well given the circumstances and it was me that asked him to come and live with me. I couldn’t stand the thought of my little brother staying in that Library in Ponyville by himself. Sure, Twilight’s friends said they’d be more than happy to have him move in with one of them but I thought it would be better if he came back here to Canterlot. As for being my personal assistant he kind of took that duty on his own.” Cadence explained as Shining went to try and calm down Pharynx.

“What do you mean he took the duty on his own?” Thorax asked in confusion.

“Young Spike took it upon himself to help Cadence, Thorax. No pony asked him to do so in any way. We think it's partially due to his time as Twilight’s assistant. He’s used to the work but Spike is also trying to distract himself from Twilight’s absence. He’s very smart and mature for one of his age and has helped us with many of the affairs of your kingdom. But at the end of the day, Spike is still a baby dragon and he needs the support of someone who understands him. Thus why Cadance asked him to return to Canterlot and stay with her in the first place. She did look after Twilight and Spike when they were younger as you will remember,” Luna added with a somber tone.

“If that is so why don’t we have Spike become an ambassador to the changelings. He’ll be distracted at times with his work but the job will also require him to interact with many others and make friends,” Thorax suggested. “I know the little guy has got to feel extremely lonely being the only one of his kind but also there aren’t a whole lot of others here to understand his loss.”

“He’s should be in my room now and if he’s not there, then let’s go check the library,” Cadence looked to the others with a half smile. “I often find him there during the day either reshelving books, helping the librarian, or doing research on political affairs. Other than me and the librarian, Proof Reader, Spike really doesn’t socialize much at all, besides his meeting for drawing up paperwork.” The group came to her room.

“He does go outside every now and then but it’s mainly to go to the gardens to sit with the animals or to go to Donut Joe’s. I often hear him sneak off at night to go somewhere and when he comes back his eyes are always red from crying. Thorax, Auntie Luna. I think it would be best if I was appointed ambassador to the Changelings along with Spike. If you don’t mind.”

Both leaders looked at one another then t the Princess of Love and nodded in agreement.