Celestia Explains the Mirror Pool
Celestia Explains the Mirror Pool
Celestia Explains the Mirror Pool
The weather outside was lovely with fancily dressed ponies going out on strolls. The birds were singing and the insects added their own music to the outdoor symphony. All around it was a perfect spring day. As lovely as this day is though that is not the focus of this story.
In the informal sitting room of Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia is having tea with her former student Twilight Sparkle. Other than knowing that it is spring those two ponies have not noticed the weather outside. The other two occupants of the room were busy looking out the window giggling at their own antics. The Princess of the Night and the Premier Party Pony of Ponyville were busy tossing water balloons near the fancily dressed ponies taking a stroll.
“Luna, you don’t want to aim for the other ponies because we don’t want to drench them. Water balloon fights are fun when everypony wants to get wet. We only want to cool them off on a warm day. Also we want to get them to look up and smile. But that snooty one you hit square in the horn didn’t look too happy about it. Ooooh…..do you think he is related to Black Snooty? Wait a minute Black Snooty was you. Or at least the other you, you know the big scary version of you.” Pinkie says in a tone as bright and bubbly as a bright pink pony with bright pink hair can give. Inexplicably she is also wearing a leather bomber jacket and mirror-finish aviator sunglasses covering up her sky blue eyes. Also inexplicably (that word is used quite often when in reference to Pinkie Pie) the cream colored scarf around her neck is blowing in the wind behind her despite the fact that there is no wind in the room.
“But Pinkie, we have been missing all the ponies. Blueblood was too good of a target to pass up for us. He is insufferable and if anypony down there deserves a good drenching it is him. What was that about Black Snooty…..wait, wait, never mind I really don’t want to know what you were talking about.” Princess Luna said while tossing a full water balloon out of the window.
Across the sitting room enjoying their tea and doing their best to ignore the shenanigans of the other two ponies. “Twilight, I am so glad you and Pinkie could take the time off of your busy schedule to visit. We just haven’t been able to get together as often as I would like. How are you doing by the way? We had such fun at your wedding.” Princess Celestia said while sipping some earl gray tea.
“Pinkie and I have been great. We couldn’t be happier. We have just gotten used to getting around in that rambling castle and Pinkie has made a promise to throw a party in each room. So far her sitting room and sunroom party were fun, but just don’t tell her I said this but her spare closet and utility room parties were quite cramped.” Twilight finished at barely a whisper.
“HA HA! The fun has been doubled!” exclaimed Princess Luna shortly after hitting Prince Blueblood again with a water balloon.
“Luna!” Pinkie said with a gasp. “You shouldn’t have hit Blue Snooty with another water balloon. We need to cheer him up because he really is not happy.” Pinkie said this while feeling around in her hair and pulls out a fully decorated cake with lit candles on top. “Here you go Blue Snooty this will cheer you up!” Pinkie shouts as she tosses the cake out the window. Pinkie gleeful expression changes to shocked horror as the cake lands right on target. The target though was not ready to catch a fully decorated cake that splattered right into his upturned face.
“Pinkie! You just hit him with a cake! Oh Most Joyous of Joys that is funny! He will need to clean up before that will stain his precious coat.” Luna said this while causing several water balloons to levitate in a bright blue glow and grinning evilly. “Luckily for him we have the solution to his dilemma.”
“Luna, if you cause an international incident with a water balloon I am going to revoke your diplomatic immunity.” Celestia said in a tired, frustrated tone. “Sorry for this Twilight your wife and my sister make a terrible team that will plunge our country into war by the end of the day.”
After a few moments to ponder a response Twilight said, “Well Celestia, at least it would be having a fun time leading to war.” Twilight gave a small awkward smile after saying this.
“We should just ignore them and deny any prior knowledge of their activities.” Celestia said with a sigh. “I didn’t invite you here to talk about their antics. I was so happy that you found the courage to tell Pinkie that you loved her. What was the spark that gave you the courage to tell her? You never said in your letters.”
“I didn’t mention it at all? I thought surely that I must have written about it. Why would I not mention it? It is not like I am ashamed I fell in love with Pinkie.” Twilight starts rambling because she thinks she has let her mentor down in some fashion.
“Twilight it is quite alright, just remember to breathe like how Cadance taught you.” Celestia says in a gentle tone after noticing her former student starts to have a panic attack. “Seriously Twilight you have to remember that we are equals now. You do not have to keep trying to impress me. Your accomplishments have already surpassed my greatest hopes. I am also truly happy that you have found love.” Celestia says in a kind motherly tone while refilling the tea in the cups.
“Well Celestia it took the risk of losing Pinkie for me to get brave enough to tell her. It was shortly after the mirror pool incident that I told her.” Twilight said after taking a few deep breaths and moving her hoof away from her chest after each exhale.
“The mirror pool?! That old legend? How was that found again?” Celestia said with surprise. “Luna and I thought that should have been forgotten long ago,” she says under her breath and with the tea cup in front of her lips.
“OOOO! OOOO! I know this one! My Nana Pinkie told me about the mirror pool when I was an itty-bitty-teeny-wienie-cutie-patootey Pinkie.
Where the Brambles are the thickest,
There you will find,
A pond beyond the most twisted of vines.”
Pinkie starts reciting the mirror pool legend in a cheery singsong fashion.
“How did your Nana Pinkie find out about the legend?” Celestia asked curiously.
“Ooh you know it was an old nursery rhyme that the Pies have passed down for many a generation. I think it was my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great -great-great-great-great-great-great-great *GASP* great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great Grandma on my mom’s side that heard about the legend because she was a soldier back at the old castle,” Pinkie said while suddenly appearing next to Celestia and stealing one of her little cucumber sandwiches.
“Well that explains that, most guards are the most gossipy ponies around” Celestia said while raising an eyebrow while she watched her cucumber sandwich get pilfered by Pinkie. “I did not think it was a popular legend. My sister and I kept it secret while we were experimenting with the Pool.”
“Wait, Wait, Wait. You know about the Mirror Pool? Does that mean we are Mirror Pals? Well Twilight is Mirror Pals with Sunset Shimmer. I have never met her but Twilight says she almost took over the world of the mirror useses. Dotcha Twilight?” Pinkie said while she bounced over to her wife and kissed her on the cheek.
“Pinkie, I have already told the Princess about my adventure in the other world. She knows that I saved that world.” Twilight said while gently nuzzling Pinkie back after the kiss. She then turns to Princess Celestia, “But what I want to know is what you meant by experimenting with the Mirror Pool.”
“I meant exactly what I said Twilight. When we were establishing Equestria after we defeated Discord we were extremely busy. We barely had free time. We had new laws to create and make sure they were implemented properly. We also had to make sure that Equestria did not fall back into the tribalism that keeps my little ponies from being united.” Princess Celestia said after getting the attention of one of the servants to get more cucumber sandwiches after a certain pink pony snarfed them down before bouncing over to Luna for more water balloon fun.
“I can understand that you didn’t have any free time but why would that lead you to Mirror Pool.” Twilight said after snatching a few of the cucumber sandwiches off of the tray.
“I was just getting to that Twilight. You were always so very impatient even as a student.” Celestia said with a wink and smile. “You see my sister and I are only two ponies. We heard about it from one of the travelling dignitaries from a small fiefdom that we later absorbed. It is a fascinating little land that actually overlapped Ponyville’s land by quite a bit. But I digress, when we heard about the pool’s properties of duplication we thought that would be a great solution. We could make duplicates of us to attend all of the royal functions and the real us get down to making laws and getting them implemented properly.”
“Wow, Celestia, that is a great idea. Just think of the time it would have freed up for you” Twilight exclaimed.
“That is what my sister and I thought. We first tested by creating a bunch of clones of Luna and me. That was a spectacular failure. You must have noticed that when the clones of Pinkie started to run amok that they were a little off. We found that as the number of clones increased aspects of the pony’s personality became muted or dulled. You see-“ Celestia said.
“Just like with ninjas.” Pinkie said while dressed in an all pink ninja outfit and tossed a few balloon shaped throwing stars. Just as suddenly as she appeared she disappeared in a pink, bubble gum scented cloud of smoke.
“GAAAAAH” Both the purple and white princesses exclaim because of the ninja-like appearance of the pink pony. This caused them to spill their tea and only the quick action of the Sun Princess stopped the teacups from shattering on the marble floors.
“Pinkie!?! Wait what? What was that about ninjas?” Twilight gasped after putting her hoof over her heart to make sure she wasn’t going to have a heart attack. She picks up a towel with her magic and starts to clean up the spills.
“Oh! Do you mean the Inverse Ninja Law Twilight?” Pinkie asked as she pulled out a perfectly prepared, pot of piping hot pekoe out of her curly, cotton candy like coiffure. “Here you go Princess this is Mrs. Cakes’ favorite flavor of tea.”
“Thank you Pinkie, that was very thoughtful.” Celestia inhaled deeply of the spicy smelling tea. “This smells wonderful Pinkie. Please give my thanks to Mrs. Cake. Now what was that about the Inverse Ninja Law? I don’t think I have ever heard of that before.” Celestia asked.
Upon hearing that Pinkie gives a loud gasp while jumping up in the air and staying suspended inexplicably. “You don’t know the Inverse Ninja Law……But you are the smarty, smartingest, wisest, all-knowingest pony in all the world.” Pinkie said in a tone that sounded like she couldn’t be more dumbfounded than she was at that moment. “Sorry Twilight, I know I usually think you are the smarty, smart, smartingest pony in the world but Celestia is like a BILLION-GAZILLIONITY Years old and knows all sorts of things.”
“Pinkie, I really don’t think Celestia is all that old –“Twilight started to say before being interrupted by Celestia.
“You know I am still here right?” Celestia said in an irked voice while raising a single eyebrow.
“Oh my goodness, Princess...err…I mean Celestia I am so sorry. Don’t mind Pinkie she didn’t--“ Twilight again started to say before being interrupted again.
“You are correct Twilight, if anything Pinkie underestimated her age. I can personally say her age is as uncountable as the sand on seashore. She is so old that when she went to school the History Class didn’t exist. The events that you read right now she pinned with her own hoof.” Luna clearly pleased to tease her sister.
“Luna, seriously we have guests. We should be above such foolishness.” Celestia said in a tone that was utterly serene.
“Dear sister, I know that no pony has ever reached your advanced age. I am just happy that you have such control over mental faculties in your dotage. I keep telling her that she should do crossword puzzles to stay sharp, but she never listens.” Luna said with a big grin, a wink and a syrupy tone of voice. She then conjures a walker built for ponies and places it in front of Celestia. “We wouldn’t want you to trip and hurt yourself.”
“Luna, I am warning you don’t start.” Celestia said in still serene tone. “I wouldn’t want to have to embarrass you in front of our friends.”
“You should give up Tia, your serenity can’t repel ribbing of this magnitude.” Luna started to laugh….*SPLASH* several water balloons surrounded by a bright yellow aura exploded right in her face.
“Well it looks like your face couldn’t repel water of that magnitude!” Celestia started to cackle with laughter. She also finished the job that Pinkie started by knocking over the tea service. It shatters and spills the wonderful brew all over the floor.
“That is it! Cry Havoc and Let Slip the Dogs of War!” Luna shouted after the thorough dowsing with water she had received. Suddenly a cake, Celestia’s favorite, that was being saved for afterwards starts levitating in a bright blue glow.
“Luna, you wouldn’t dare. If you dare defile that cake I will rend the heavens asunder to reap my vengeance upon you.” Celestia said in a tone that had both the purple princess pony and the premier party pony quivering in fear. Luna is the only living pony to have ever heard Celestia use this tone. It has been over 400 years since that tone was heard. It was heard by the minotaur, General Bloodfist the Fury of the Seven Battles of Nightwind, before his death at the Eighth Battle of Nightwind. Celestia led the Equestrian army and personally struck down the general in one on one combat. The legend among the minotaur stated that the general was so terrified of Celestia that he had to change his armor and only met her in combat because his own forces would have killed him for cowardice. He knew that at least Celestia would give him a clean, quick death. In comparison, Luna heard this tone when she accidently left a specially made cake out overnight causing it to spoil before Celestia could partake in the heavenly treat. Luna’s reaction, it was said, was quite different: there was 1,000,000% less bowel movement and 1,000,000% more eye rolls.
Luna heard the tone and felt that the customary eye roll wasn’t enough. She added a gentle yawn while patting her hair back into place after a quick drying spell was cast. “Don’t take that tone with me you multi-hued cow, I only was having a bit of fun. You escalated a war of words into a war of action. Have at thee.” Luna exclaimed while getting in a duelist stance and heaving the cake right into Celestia’s face.
Celestia, stunned that her you-don’t-mess-with-cake voice was ignored, didn't react in time to avoid the cake hitting her in the face.
Meanwhile in the farmer’s utopia of Sweet Apple Acres, the Apple siblings were getting the fields ready for planting. Applebloom was planting seeds in the furrows left behind by her brother Big Mac who was pulling the plow. Her sister, Applejack, was filling in the furrows after the seeds.
“Woowee, this here is hard work. Ah sure could use somethin’ cold ta drink right about now.” the littlest Apple said.
“Applebloom, Ah have told ya a’ready that once we get done with the plantin’ of this field we will stop and rest.” Applejack said in a frustrated tone of voice.
“Eeyup.” Big Mac agreed.
“What in tarnation is goin’ at the castle” Applebloom exclaimed, she hops up on the plow and on top of her brother.
“What are ya goin’ on about Applebloom?” Applejack asked.
As soon as Applebloom points to the castle a huge shockwave originates from one of the towers.
“I think we should take cover guys—“ Applejack was about to say when she was interrupted by a eardrum shattering “LUNAAAAAAAA!”
The shockwave the scream caused knocked the Apple siblings off their hoofs and caused their ears to ring something fierce.
“What in the hay was that? Is everpony a’right?” Applejack asked (not knowing that she was screaming at the top of her lungs) after getting up off the ground. She was brushing the dust and dirt off of her with her hat.
“Ah am okay, my ears are ringin’ somethin’ fierce.” Applebloom (also screaming) said after reading Applejack's lips from the time the Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to get their Cutie Mark in lip-reading (CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS LIP READERS YAAAY!).
“How about you, Big Mac?” Applebloom asked
No response.
“How are your ears Big Mac?” Applebloom continues at a near scream
No response.
“Uh…Big Mac?” Applebloom again asks while walking around to face her big brother. The ringing in her ears had subsided to a reasonable level. She noticed that Big Mac was staring off in the distance toward the castle. After saying his name a few times and getting no response she finally waves her hoof in his face. With a start Big Mac notices the hoof and looks down to Applebloom.
“Applejack, Ah think it is about time we break out that special cider and invite your friends over. Ah ain’t in the mood for workin’ after that there scream.” Big Mac says.
“I couldn’t agree with you more. Applebloom why don’t you get together with your friends ya’ll can stay the night at the clubhouse. Big Mac and I will check on you in the mornin’.” Even before Applejack gets done talking Applebloom runs off with a hearty cheer.
“Applebloom, ya’ll best be in the clubhouse before nightfall or there will be hay to pay. Ya’ll ain’t too old to take over my knee.” Applejack shouted after her sister.
Meanwhile, back at the castle in Canterlot, the informal dining room looked like it was the target of the world’s largest food fight. Cake and cucumbers were smeared all over the walls. The tile was slick because of thrown water balloons.
In the midst of all of this pandemonium of pitched provisions perched a pair of perplexed ponies protected by a pink power perpetuated by the purple part of the pair. They were protected by the quick reaction of the Pinkie Sense of the party pony. She had an itchy ear, a tickly left back hoof, and her hair frizzed just so. As everyone knows this particular combo happens when two god-like sisters are about to get into a knockdown, dragged-out food fight. After getting that brief warning Twilight, trusting her wife implicitly, threw up a shield to protect them from the scream and the ensuing food fight.
The pair of ponies’ reactions could not have been any more different afterwards though. Twilight was sitting on her haunches stunned. Her mouth was hanging open and her brain was short-circuiting. Her brain just could not comprehend that these two god-like beings were acting so…so…childishly. As the fight continued she started to get a twitch above her right eye.
Pinkie, who had donned some 3D glasses, on the other hand was munching on some popcorn. She would occasionally scream and duck in fright when a blob of water or cake would hit the shield directly in front of her. “Wow those new 3D effects really make the movie more action packed” Pinkie said, reacting to a rather large blob of cake hitting near her head. She then offered some popcorn to Twilight. “Want some popcorn Twi-Twi?”
“No, I don’t want any popcorn Pinkie.” Twilight said absentmindedly. Her brain finally engaged enough to register what Pinkie had said. “3D effects what are you talking about? This is real life not a movie, how much more 3D could you get?”
“I know Twilight this is not a movie it is more like a work of fiction by a fan who really loves our show.” Pinkie said matter-of-factly.
“Work of fiction?!? Show!?! What are you talking about Pinkie” Twilight said after her brain misfired and started to idle again.
“Oh shoot, did I say that out loud? I thought that was in my head. I guess I just missed the quotation marks the author put in there.” Pinkie said getting a nervous look on her face. She knew that she was saying too much.
“Quotation marks? Are you saying that we are in a story right now?” Twilight said with disbelief. She then waves her forelimbs around and pokes herself with her left hoof. “See Pinkie I couldn’t do that if I was in a story.”
“Twi-Twi the author can make you perform any action he wants. He is a god.” After Pinkie said this she immediately covered her mouth with her hooves. “I really shouldn’t have said that.” Pinkie said while putting on some sunglasses and pulling what looks like a pink neuralyzer.
“Twilight could I get to you look over here for a second? I have a surprise to give you. You know because I have gifts for everything. I was hoping to surprise you with it later today as an I-love-you-present but I think right now works.” Pinkie asked while waiving a hoof in front of Twilight’s face to get her attention.
“Pinkie, you know it makes me feel bad when you give me gifts like that. I really want to reciprocate as we—“ Twilight started to say but stopped when the light of the neuralyzer went off.
The two bickering sisters saw the bright light and stopped throwing cake, eggs, water balloons and various other goods and sundries at each other. “Pinkie, did you really have to use the neuralyzer on Twilight again?” Celestia said in a resigned but authoritative tone.
“I didn’t mean to do it again Celestia, honest and for realzies. I just teensy-tiny slipped about the fourth wall and you know how I get when that happens. The author can’t help but continue because the audience finds it so funny. Are you sure these things don’t give brain cancer, or horn cancer, or skin cancer, or wing cancer, or cute little dimple cancer, or beautiful, purple colored eye cancer, or soft lavender fur cancer do you? I shouldn’t keep using this neuro-brain-eraserlyzer thingy on her if that is the case.” Pinkie kept saying getting more and more upset as she continued talking. She started to pull at her hair even at the thought of hurting her Twi-Star.
“Pinkie those devices do not give out cancer. Twilight is perfectly safe. Look she is starting to come back around. Luna could you clean us up, Pinkie I need you to tell her that you forgot that you hid a party cannon in the cake and it accidentally went off before it was ready”. Celestia said while casting a spell to create a shield around Luna and herself. She even splattered some cake and water on the shield to make it look authentic.
Luna quickly cast a couple of spells to clean up the royal sisters all the while mumbling under her breath. “You are lucky that Pinkie loves talking about the fourth wall so much I had you right where I wanted you.”
Pinkie starts throwing balloons and confetti everywhere to make it look like a deranged party planner set off a confetti cannon off too early. As she finishes it up she ends up back under Twilight’s shield and gives her a gentle kiss on the lips to apologize for neurozapping her for the nth time since their marriage.
“--Celestia can’t be that many years old Pinkie. The universe itself is not that old. I have estimated that she---” Twilight was saying but trailed off after she noticed the state of the room.
“WHAT THE HAY JUST HAPPENED?” Twilight asked in a reasonably quiet tone of voice. That reasonably quiet tone of voice could be heard for miles around.
“Twilight, don’t you remember that you just got a split second warning before BOOM SPLASH! Well it was more of SPLURT or maybe it was more of SQUIRSH or how about KERPLUNK but that sounds more like you throw a stone into a pond. But wait isn’t that more of SPELUNK sound….” Pinkie started to say but then started to ramble about what the sound of exploding cake sounds like.
“I think what Pinkie was trying to say Twilight is Pinkie forgot that she hid a confetti cannon in the cake. It was your quick thinking that stopped us from getting spattered with cake and confetti.” Celestia said after dropping the shield she was using to protect herself and her sister.
“Huh, how did I miss that?” Twilight said but she knows that pony’s in traumatic experiences often forget the events around the trauma. Celestia and Luna must be immune to that type of trauma. Note to self: See if Celestia or Luna would let me hook up their brains to my machine and study them under traumatic conditions.
“Pinkie, I think before we were interrupted by the exploding cake that you were talking about the Inverse Ninja Law.” Celestia asks interrupting Pinkie who was now trying to figure out how many O’s are in the Kaboom of a star.
“Let’s see it would have less O’s than in a boom of an avalanche but that would sound more like a KERKRASH. Huh?! What did you ask Princey Celesty?” Pinkie asked after bouncing over to the Princess and throwing a leg around her shoulders.
“Oh right the Ninja Law thingy.” Pinkie is suddenly dressed in a pink ninja garb. “Well as anypony knows in the Maretial Arts movies there usually is a fight with a gaggle *giggle* that is such a fun word to say gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle gaggle.” Pinkie says while bouncing around and around and around.
“Pinkie as fun as the word gaggle is, it still doesn’t explain the Ninja Law.” Celestia said, showing a slight crack in her legendary calm demeanor as she starts to rub her hoof between her eyes.
“Ooh Righty I forgot” Pinkie exclaimed while giggling so much she snorts. She then pulls out a text book called Internet and Pop Culture Memes from the depths of her costume and she is wearing reading glasses over her pink ninja hood. “The Inverse Ninja Law as anybody knows (present company excluded)” Pinkie starts while mumbling the last part. She looks over the people only to get a head shake from Princess Luna.
“Oh Mistress Pinkie you are quite mistaken. While I endeavored to learn all that I had missed during my imprisonment. I studied all I could about pop culture and that included movies, music, and the theatre. I was enthralled with the maretial arts movies. They had so much action, and they speak the language even worse than I do. I LOOOOOVED them they became my jelly….or is that jam…..marmalade? Whatever they are called I enjoyed them greatly. So I also know what the Inverse Ninja Law is but I want to yield to the master.” Luna said while placing her hoofs together and bowing to Pinkie.
Pinkie replicates the bow and spins around in a circle and is wearing a long, pink robe of a Kung Fu master. She is also sporting a long, pink, curly Fu Manchu mustache and beard. “You have learned well dark grasshopper. A student is like a cupcake in a river. It floats along absorbing the water like a student’s brain absorbs knowledge. Then the cupcake gets soggy and eaten by fish. So don’t let your brain go into the river to get soggy and eaten by fish.” Pinkie says while walking around on her hind hooves with her front hooves behind her back. Twilight facepalms, Luna just sits in rapt attention absorbing her master’s words.
Celestia rolls her eyes and exclaims while her legendary patience finally snaps from the Pinkie’s antics. “PINKIE! Please tell us about the inverse ninja law.”
“OH righty reeney roo. The inverse ninja law is what happens when you have a bunch of ninjas fighting a small group or an individual. The deadliness of the ninjas is directly opposed to the number of ninjas left. SOOOOO the larger number of ninjas the easier they are to fight.” Pinkie said matter-of-factly. Not troubled by the shout from Celestia. She then happily bounces over to the remains of the sandwich tray to eat the few undamaged sandwiches.
“Wow that is exactly how the mirror pool works. The more clones there are they become less and less like the pony cloned.” Celestia said after careful thought about the law Pinkie just stated.
“But what about one individual clone? Wouldn’t that be exactly like the original?” Twilight asked after the record setting recovery from her facepalm at her wife’s zaniness.
“Well Twilight when we would create the individual clones they worked well but there were some fatal flaws.” Luna started answering Twilight. “First the clone wouldn’t have the original’s memories, so many of our decisions and personality are based on our memories of the past. It was unfeasible to spend decades teaching the clones what my sister and I had learned in all of our years. Second, memory transfer spells are always dodgy at best. It can transfer the memory but not necessarily the context or feelings generated because of it. A good example I can show you a sad memory of a dead bird. Without the knowledge that the bird was a pet there would be no reason for you to be sad at the level that I would be. Third, and most importantly my sister and I started the experiment to save us time. If it was going to take years to get the clones up to speed it was a failure.” She finished and walked over to Pinkie to help repair some of the damage the party cannon caused.
“But if you were making single clones how did you tell each other apart?” Twilight asked.
“Simple, we wore name tags. The mirror pool wouldn’t create those.” Celestia said. “Well that was until Luna played a prank and changed my name to Princess Sun-Butt the Magnificent. It was the first time we were going to try to have the clones interact with other ponies. Luna even taught the clone how I enter a room in official capacity. She had the clone go up to my chiefs of staff and announce-.” Celestia started but was quickly interrupted by Luna.
“I am Princess Sun-Butt the Magnificent. I use Mine Posterior to blocketh the sun to further the glory of the much cuter, smarter, and all-around better ruler Princess Luna. May thee bask in glory of the Royal Posterior as I doth recline eating sweets….”Luna started but a yellow aura appeared around her head. It forced her mouth closed.
“Sister, I think they get the point.” Celestia said with a strained smile on her face. After the aura disappeared Luna gave her an innocent smile and stuck her tongue out. “As you can see that idea was scrapped, in its place we decided to have each other create a phrase before we started. Since memories weren’t recreated the clones had no way of knowing the phrase.” Celestia continued just giving an eyebrow raise to Luna.
“So, you are saying that all I had to do was ask Pinkie what she had for breakfast or what her aligator’s or her parent’s name are to figure out who the real Pinkie was.” Twilight said incredulously.
“That is right Twilight,” Celestia said while nodding.
“But how did you figure out the spell to send the clones back. Did you test spells on the clones until you figured it out? I bet you must have gone through weeks of trial and error and all of those phrases you would have to remember but not reveal.” Twilight just started getting into experimentation mode.
“Actually Twilight it took us about five minutes to figure out the spell.” Celestia said with a smirk while noticing that she just derailed Twilight’s train of thought.
“Bhwaaaaaa? How did you figure it out so fast?” Twilight asked incredulously.
“Easy Twilight if you had done a simple magical scan of the clones you would have seen the pool’s magical signature present that would not have appeared on a normal pony. This signature is quite distinct but also easy to reverse. Once you reverse the flow the clone puffs up and disappears in a cloud of smoke that goes right back to the mirror pool.” Celestia said, slipping easily into her teacher’s voice.
“But Celestia, how did you avoid accidently using the spell on the real Luna? The spell could have misfired or you could have gotten distracted and hit her.” Twilight asked after recovering from the brain train derailment earlier.
“That was easy; the spell wouldn’t affect a normal pony. It only reversed the spell signature of the mirror pool. Normal ponies do not have the signature so it would slightly tickle or would be like getting shocked by static electricity at worst.” Celestia said.
Luna and Pinkie had gotten done with the cleaning and they ran out of water balloons so they wandered over to the two talking princesses.
“So you mean that Pinkie wouldn’t have been in any danger? I was so worried about the test she devised wouldn’t work. Everything about the situation made me nervous.” Twilight said while walking over to snuggle Pinkie.
Celestia laughs in a gentle tone. “Oh Twilight, you were always so tender hearted. She would have been perfectly safe. If you want I can show you.” After the nod from Twilight a golden glow surrounds Celestia’s horn and a golden beam of light shoots toward Pinkie. When the beam hits Pinkie she puffs up and explodes in a pink cloud that then flies out the window.
The princesses sit in stunned silence only to be interrupted by the unequestrian scream of denial from Twilight. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! PINKIEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
“Huh, that was unexpected,” Celetestia said, still stunned about what happened to Pinkie.
“I can’t believe I sent the real Pinkie to the mirror pool. I destroyed the love of my life, and I robbed the world of the wonderfulness of Pinkie.” Twilight gasps out between sobs.
Celestia and Luna huddle together discussing what had just happened. Twilight continues sobbing and blubbering about how she killed Pinkie.
“I will never forgive myself for –“ Twilight started before being interrupted by a pair of pink hooves covering her face.
“Why won’t you forgive yourself Twi-Twi?” Pinkie askes innocently.
“BWHAAA! Pinkie!? Wait…but….how? You disappeared.” Twilight’s brain short circuits by the sudden appearance of her beloved wife.
Upon seeing Twilight’s face, Luna and Celestia both cackle with laughter.
“Gotcha” Celestia said between bouts of laughter. She had thrown her hoof over her sister for support because they were laughing so hard.
“You should have seen thine face Twilight. Thy stunned look was everything we couldst have hoped for.” Luna gasps between her laughter. She was unconcerned about the tears running down her face caused by the laughter. Luna also did not notice that she started using ye olden dialect.
“Twi-Twi are you okay?” Pinkie noticed how quiet Twilight had gotten so moved from behind the Alicorn to look her in the face. Pinkie is shocked when she sees the look on her wife’s face. She gets a nervous smile while walking away. “Uhh gals, I don’t think this was such a good idea.”
Meanwhile, at the Carousel Boutique (Where Everything is Chic, Unique and MagnifiqueTM) Rarity was just finishing up on an order for Fleur de Lis for an event that she and Fancy Pants were hosting at the end of the week.
“I really need to finish up this order before I join my friends at Sweet Apple Acres.” Rarity talks to herself while she is staring at the ponyquin. “GRRR! I just can’t seem to finish it. The piece is missing something. I was really close to getting it correct until I was so rudely interrupted by Applejack.” Rarity starts to unknowingly fanning herself with a bit of fabric while thinking of the toned farmers flank. “She does that on purpose. She waits until I get into a groove and then shows up all sweaty and filthy,” a full body shiver, of desire, runs through the white mare, “from working on the farm. I really don’t want to leave this outfit unfinished. I won’t be able to enjoy the soiree with the Apples tonight unless I get this finished.” She looks again at the dress and growls in frustration.
She turns her head to the window when she hears a muffled boom. “I hope that it wasn't thunder,” She said as she looked out the window. “Huh, looks like a great day not a cloud in the sky.” Had her window faced Canterlot she might have seen the explosion that caused the boom.
Rarity turns back towards the gown and notices a broken, soot covered, and smoking golden crown embedded in the wall right above the ponyquin’s head. “IDEAAAA!” Rarity exclaimed. This crown will make her like royalty. She does a quick sketch adding a bejeweled tiara on the design of the paper. “There that will look glorious. Now I can enjoy the party with my friends.” Rarity says to Opal who wandered into the room looking. She looks closer at the crown which is still smoking, “If I didn’t know any better I would think this crown belonged to Princess Celestia'' She said but immediately shakes her head in denial. She puts some food and water out for Opal “Mama will be back hopefully tomorrow if I can finally show Applejack exactly what her flank does to me”
She leaves out the front door never noticing that Opal was relaxing a new spot of sun that was shining through the new hole in the wall. The hole was the perfect view of the now smoking hole in the east tower where the informal sitting room and several surrounding rooms used to be. If a pony would look very closely they would see a slightly blackened and disheveled pink pony floating down to the ground holding an umbrella.
End
