Mirror: Book I - Mind

The dim light of the afternoon shone through the stain glass windows lined up across the study chamber’s far wall with an orange, ethereal glow. To the center of the room a wide assortment of papers and print laid before the boy, sprawled over Twilight’s desk, threatening to spill over the side with just how much content there was to sort through. It was more than enough to bring about a snore-fest to the poor sap willing enough to sit through page after page of black and white, and it certainly didn’t help the young Equerry enough that it was all in Ponish. Needless to say, Twilight was with him every step of the way, explaining the most crucial parts and what exactly his role as Equerry had to play in the matters of reconstructing the plaza fountain monument.

“You’re saying you want me to choose what we build on the fountain?” David asked confusingly.

“Not exactly.” Twilight corrected. “Mikado’s construction company has already decided on what they want to put in place of the statue. Y’know, the one that everypony thought you destroyed?”

“For the record I had a little assistance from these two, clumsy guards.” He reminded. “But go on.”

“Since the reconstruction is classified as a utility landmark, all the construction crew needs to do is get the approval of Town Hall and cosign the contract with a government official, including all of her colleagues.” Twilight noted dutifully. “Although you have no official position at the Hall, you are technically a part of their staff, which means the approval of the construction would fall under your signage as well.”

David sat back in the small chair and took a good, long look over the sprawling of papers and parchment, the bigger picture of it all finally reaching the forefront of his understanding. As he understood it, an onslaught of fine print whether it come from newspaper, contract, or any other form of reading was yet another ploy to distract the signer from what they were really agreeing to. Companies would often filter safeguard after safeguard into their policies to ensure the business would almost inevitably come out on top, no matter what the case. It was always about being on top, having all the money, all the power…

“This was all planned from the start.” He realized. “Not to safeguard me against the citizens, but to bring me out of the debt of that dumb, old statue. Wasn’t it?”

“It’s been a tedious process, but the best I could devise.” Twilight cleared.

“So, Starlight was right after all? And to think this Equerry position was taken away from her, especially when she deserved it more than I did.”

“Don’t forget what I said, it was not my intention for you to look upon your assignment with any amount of culpability.” The pony reminded. “Yes, I do admit that it was all for the purpose of absolving you from your debt, and for that I must apologize.”

“What for?” The boy looked up in wonder.

“That day you told me that I lied to you, well…you were right.” The Princess looked downcast. “I haven’t been one-hundred percent honest with you.”

“Don’t sweat it, Twi.” He reassured her. “It’s not like I would have understood what was going on back then, even now it’s all just numbers and letters to me.” He passed a glance to the papers in his hands, glazing over the lines. “All I’m really trying to understand right now is what this Mikado guy’s endgame is. What’s this ‘common goal’ he keeps talking about? And what was up with Rose Luck being the pony he ‘chose’?”

Twilight rested her quill and her hooves to the desk as she took a deep breath and prepared her answer. “Princess Celestia and I had been monitoring Mikado’s activity months prior to his official arrival in Ponyville, wherein preparations were already being made to establish a defensive strategy for the town, that being the plaza reconstruction contract you see before you now.” She elaborated. “In order for Mikado to successfully test the effects of the defensive barrier, he needed an agent to carry out his bidding, and what better subject to carry out this task than a blissfully unaware citizen of the village? Since this barrier is not only classified as a utility establishment, but also to be used for militaristic purposes, the operation was deemed secret and closed off to the citizens, save for certain members of Town Hall staff as well as Princess Celestia and myself, of course.”

David sat back, blinking and dumbfounded. Her supposed lack of honesty had not only stricken the boy, but the whole town for that matter. Perhaps even her closest friends.

“So, you knew about the garden raids?” He surmised. “And not only did you pin the blame against some pony desperate to get her flower shop out of debt, but in the process you managed to rack up hundreds if not thousands of bits in damages.”

“Which are already in the process of compensation.” She added. “Don’t think that Mikado and I would have left any corners unchecked.”

“Still though, all this trouble and commotion. All for some…wacky, government experiment?”

“For the security of this town, it would seem so.” Twilight nodded.

“That’s a pretty demented way to make your citizens pay taxes.” David commented. “Y’know that, right?”

“Up until now, I was given very little information on the details of this plan, and for that I had very little of a part to play in its uprising.” Twilight confessed. “Whether I like it or not, it is my duty as Princess to uphold the safeguard of our nation and its establishments by whatever means necessary.” There was a pause. “As a matter of fact, if any of the other Princesses were to gain word of everything I just told you, you and I could very well be tried for treason.”

Little tufts of cloud formed into a thought bubble above the boy’s head, filtering a depiction of both himself and Twilight tearfully awaiting their deaths with heads locked beneath a guillotine. The executioner was clearly Pinkie Pie in a black-leather mask, which she wore backwards. Applejack pushed her aside and slammed down David’s guillotine.

“That’s…enough questions for one night, don’t’cha think?” He chuckled a nervous fit and rose from his chair. “I sure am hungry. Wonder what that little fire ball of yours whipped up for dinner.”

“David.” Twilight called to him. “I haven’t had the chance to tell you, but I’ve been very pleased as of late, the way you’re managing this situation with Apple Bloom and the citizens and all.”

“Huh?” He turned and looked over her again, wondering what she was on to.

“Believe it or not, I see a little bit of myself in you, when I was a bit younger of course.” She admitted. “When I first arrived in Ponyville, all I could ever think about doing was leading out the Princess’ orders in an attempt to prove that I am in fact her number one, most faithful student. But, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I never would have maintained that image had it not been for my friends. They were the ones who protected me, showed me the way when times got tough.” She paused, gazing over her subject with benevolence. “I know you’ve struggled and felt lost time and time again in the past, but more so it warmed my heart to see you reach out to those you care for and trust.”

“Well, I did end up with a pretty good teacher.” David gave her a wink. “Even if she does keep secret, Princess operations from me from time to time.”

The mare let go a giggle as she rose from her own seat and led him to the door. “Alright, you, let’s go get that dinner you’re dying to dig into.”

“Hold on, it’s not Hayburger again, is it…?” The boy groaned.

“Nope!” She answered rather cheerfully. “Spike thought of something special this time.”

The boy had been instructed to calmly take his usual seat at the dining table, awaiting this supposed “special” dish that the little dragon chef had prepared in the young Equerry’s stead. The double doors from the hall and into the dining area split apart as Twilight entered along with Spike, the Princess seating herself adjacent to the boy just as the little dragon was waltzing up with the dish in one claw and his cooking apron in the other. There was a peculiar, prideful grin strummed across the young lizard’s face, and David wondered for a moment if he had the honors of becoming tonight’s royal poison checker. Spike hopped up onto the stool and set out the plate before him, lifting the lid with a free claw, the waft of cooked meat filling his nostrils.

“This…” He looked down, eyes beginning to well up with tears. “This is…?”

“A sandwich.” Spike stood triumphantly. “Freshly cooked meat, per Fluttershy’s instructio-AAH!”

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing, what I’m smelling!” He scooped his scaly little buddy into a tight, grateful embrace. “It’s a hamburger! A real, live hamburger. No, wait, it’s not steak is it? You know what, it doesn’t matter. Thank you, Spike, thank you…”

“How about you start tasting before you ruin all my hard work!” The dragon shoved away.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” He wiped an arm over his nose. “I don’t even feel like I deserve this, but at the same time there’s no way I’m going to let this go to waste. I’m sorry I was so horrible before all of this, I was just…”

“Lacking certain nutrients?” Twilight teased. “It may not be exactly to your liking, but Spike and I asked Fluttershy everything we needed to know about preparing a cooked meal for her carnivores, and this was the best bet we had.”

“No, it’s perfect already.” He took another waft of the heavenly scent. “And it smells divine.”

“Well? What’re you waiting for, ya’ dumb ape?” Spike knuckled his shoulder. “Go on, eat up!”

As the dragon waddled over to his chair and feasted into a bowl full of celebratory gems, the boy quietly clasped his hands together and uttered a line or two of mysterious mumbles beneath his fingers. Playing a strange gesture to his head, chest and shoulders, Twilight and Spike delivered one another odded out looks before shrugging and returning their attention to the boy. He licked his chops, lifted the burger, and opened wide.

“And just WHAT the hell do you think you’re doing?” A raspy growl echoed from above.

Every table member present paused. David craned his neck and looked to the open window above. It was his coach, Rainbow Dash, glaring with the intensity of a thousand, roaring manticores.

“…eating a sandwich…” He mumbled innocently.

“Slacking off, are we?” Rainbow dropped from the ceiling and landed before the boy with a metallic boom, plates and silverware flying through the air. “Not on my watch, trainee!”

“Hey-hey-hey, what’s the big idea?!” The boy guarded his sandwich. “I thought you said you’d cut me some slack-”

“And you thought that meant you could get away with slurping up that grease-ridden…whatever the heck that is?” She batted the burger from his hands. “Let’s go, lackey, outside!”

“B-But-”

“Hup-two-three-four~! Hup-two-three-four~!”

“Ow! Hey, watch the ribs!” He whined. “You know that’s my weak spot. Spike, Spike! Wrap that burger up in foil for me! I’m not finished-Ouch! Alright alright, I’m going! Sheesh…”

Footsteps and wing flaps echoed down the hallway and came to a close at the sound of the front doors slamming shut. The pony and the dragon sat quietly within the dining hall, awe-stricken and perhaps even scarred by the severity of the Wonderbolt’s intense training regiment. Alas, there seemed little the two could do about the ill fate of the boy, or were even willing to do, and thus sought to resume to their dinners. If only yet another interruption had not come, this time in the form of a monstrous goat head rising out of the kettle, tea dripping from ear to tooth.

“Did I miss the comedic relief?” Discord gawked about. “Oh, wait, that’s me.”

“Discord!” Twilight pounced, hooves on the table.

“Ah, my dear Twilight, your cry is still but a bird song to my weathered ears.” Singing birds tunneled from the kettle’s spout and rose to the ceiling, exiting out of the open window. “I know you’re hungry, but don’t give chase.” He eyed Twilight carefully.

“Perhaps you wouldn’t mind telling me what it was you were doing with David earlier in the day?” She questioned back.

“I’ll admit, the boy showed a much more surprising amount of tenacity than I first accounted him for.” Discord swirled up and out of the kettle, hovering above the table. “But of course, that all depends on your perspective of his progress. I take it the cat’s out of the bag?” He raised an empty sac.

Twilight peeked upwards, finding Meowf draped over her mane, slumbering away. She levitated the cat to the side with her telekinesis, the little feline scampering out the door, and the mare started again with a deep sneer towards the draconequus.

“If you so much as eavesdropped a single breath from our conversation at Town Hall, Celestia so help me…”

“Oh relax, your royal hiney-ness, it’s not as though I have the time or even the slightest of intrigue to fill myself in on your little schemes with ‘china town’.” The serpent swirled and morphed into his eastern counterpart, an oracle’s orb in his tiger paw. “Nothing that which the likes of my plan could even dare to compete with. This one will bring us to the conclusion of the book, after all.”

“And just what sort of plan is that?” Twilight probed.

“What gives you the gull to consult me on my plans when you’re not even willing to share a sliver of your own?” He snapped his rooster claws, spawning a pair of chopsticks as he stroked it through his long, white, dragon beard. “Sham-fer dispray…”

“David is still my Equerry, and there’s no backing out of that now.” Twilight affirmed. “If it concerns him, then it most definitely concerns me, too.”

“And I’ll let that little note of confirmation be your ticket to this little secret.” Discord went on, swiping his paw around the orb as smokey images of fortunes and tellings swirled within. “Let it be true that you were indeed one hundred percent honest with the boy today. But, one hundred percent is only a tenth of one thousand percent.”

Through the orb came an old yet familiar setting, one that Twilight knew but for one reason or another dreaded to return to. The ruins in the Everfree forest, the Castle of the Two Sisters. She played a downcast glance to her hooves, avoiding eye contact with both the mischevious serpent and her little, dragon companion. Spike eyed his sisterly, motherly figure carefully and worriedly. Discord, still a spiral in the lives of the ponies of Ponyville and beyond.

Silver slivers of light channeled through the small window hung high on the far wall of the holding cell. A single unicorn laid quietly inside, hooves tucked beneath her chin as she laid downcast and defeated upon the matted, dusty floor. She cared not for the dirt matting her hide, the leavens left uneaten from her meal, or even the repercussions she might soon face. Having now spent the better part of the day behind bars, Silver Spanner wondered quietly upon the events of her life that had ultimately led up to this point in time. It seemed no different from spending one’s time cooped up in their room, day in and day out, researching and tinkering and wasting their life away. She lifted her head and looked past the bars, where the guard still stood, stiff and flinchless as a statue.

This guy hasn’t moved a single inch ever since I got locked up in here. She thought to herself. Is he even still alive?

Ralph felt the mare’s eyes hover over his figure. No response arrived.

Guess it’s just a bat pony thing. She surmised. Now that I think about it, he’s the only other bat pony I’ve seen, aside from Princess Luna’s guard that one Nightmare Night.

He already felt the weight of her words before they could meet his ears.

“Say, are you a part of Princess Luna’s night guard?” She started. “I heard she only enlists bat ponies into her ranks. Why is that?”

Silver suspected she already knew the reason why, but was curious to ask nonetheless. Alas, the guard on the other side of the bars remained silent and stagnant as ever.

“I suppose that’s confidential, hm?” The unicorn sighed, dropping her head back onto her hooves. “Sorry I asked…”

The sound of the pony’s hooves rapping against the floor sounded throughout the cell as she went to readjust herself. Ralph spared a glance in the mare’s direction, her back was turned and her hooves were tucked beneath her body. He stared forward, blinked and flickered his ear. It was so quiet one could hear the sound of the dust settling all around them. Only then did the bat pony realize how lonely the nights alone in the barracks had been. He took a breath.

“Sarosians.” He answered.

Silver’s ear flickered. She turned and eyed the guard, whom spared her a passive glance.

“My kind are called sarosians. The name comes from the Saros mountains that which my people had led pilgrimages to during Nightmare Moon’s reign a thousand years ago. To this day we still do. It is a lesser known title, a derivative from the common Equestrian tongue that which we are dubbed.”

“Would you prefer ‘Sarosian’ instead?” Silver fretted. “I apologize if I offended you.”

“I do not contend you to your lack of awareness, or knowledge.” He fessed. “I simply sought to educate.”

Silver glazed over the stallion with a prying, playful grin. She knew the young bat pony, or rather the sarosian, had a heart deep down beneath that plate of armor after all. “I take it you don’t get many chances to tell other ponies about yourself?” She teased.

“For what purpose?” Ralph retorted.

“Whadda’ you mean?” Silver shrugged. “Y’know, to make small talk, I guess.”

“Small…talk?” The cogs in his brain churned.

A grin crept across the young mare’s face, and so she sat up and faced the bars, eyeing the guard past the metal barrier. “Just think of it as a game. Here, I’ll go first.” She took a breath. “Hi, my name’s Silver Spanner. What’s yours?”

The sarosian shed another side-eye, careful not to break his pose.

“…Ralph.”

“Just Ralph?” She cocked her head.

He blinked. “…it means ‘wolf’.”

Silver blinked and craned her head back in laughter as she went to the floor cackling.

“W-What’s so funny-?!” Ralph twisted around.

“You don’t have to give me a definition for every name you tell me.” Silver swept her eye. “What’re you, an encyclopedia?”

The guard avoided her gaze and snarled quietly to the floor, eyes filled with judgment and worry. “I thought you said this was a game…” He glowered.

“It is.” She smiled back. “You’re pretty good at it.”

He studied her toothy grin and the affection behind it for a moment, wondering if she was just trying to get on his good side, or if the pony did in fact mean well. His face softened and he returned to his original stance.

“Do ponies act like this all the time?” He asked lowly.

“Sure we do.” Silver replied happily. “We love to play games, make small talk, host parties, and frolic in the fields like there’s no tomorrow.”

A dejected glance shadowed over the sarosian’s face, to which Silver fidgeted and twiddled her hooves.

“N-Not that I meant it’s exclusive only to ponies, I mean-” She rubbed her mane. “You seem like the type of guy who could go for a trot in the park. Just as long as you bring your sunhat.” She slapped her forehead.

It seemed that the sarosian planned upon no response, the simple posture of his statue-stricken pose giving the unicorn all the answer she needed to know. She sported her own downcast glance and muttered in the pits of her mind.

Way to go, Silver, making the outcast feel more special than he needs to be reminded. She mentally slapped herself. Stupid mare, this is why you’re still single! She flinched and paused for a breath, eyes cast upon the stallion’s back. Poor guy can hardly even do his job, trotting around in the sun all day. Makes ya’ wonder why they deployed him to Ponyville of all places. Maybe that’s why he didn’t answer my first question…

Ralph would have been completely content with returning to the silence that had encompassed the barracks and the holding cells for several hours, alas he felt the mare’s movement tickle his senses. If he were to remain stagnant, he thought, perhaps the pony would cease her charade of conversation. No more games, no more of that silly “small talk.” Ralph knew he wasn’t any good at it, she was just being nice.

“So, what would you do on these pilgrimages?” She wondered.

Ralph quickly glanced over and down. The pony was closer now, hooves hung around the bars and her beaming face casting up at him like that of a curious child.

“To the Saros mountains, I mean.” She finished.

The sarosian stared forward, stifling a sigh. “We would embark on a journey back to our homelands to witness what your astronomers call the ‘saros cycle.’ Every eighteen and a half years the moon strides over a specific position in the night sky, upon the exact constellation that which Nightmare Moon had cast her fabled ‘solar eclipse’ over the sun to shun the harsh light for us sarosians, and bring about eternal, ethereal nights. It is both a glorious and reverenced event for us sarosians, one we can sense without the need of astronomical observation.” He paused, his ear flickered. “I realize that it might be a harrowing event for the ponies of Equestria, but understand that this all but natural to my people and I, comforting even. Her majesty sought it so.” He slowly closed his eyes.

“It’s like your own version of the Summer Sun Celebration.” Silver regarded. “I guess that would make sense, considering that the Celebration each year is the same date Nightmare Moon was banished-” She swiped a hoof over her mouth, timidly eyeing the guard.

Instead, Ralph shook his head in a forgiving gesture, and continued. “As it stands, you and I are from two different worlds. Neither of us are at fault, it is simply the way things are.”

“You make it sound like you’re dissatisfied with that outcome.” Silver noted boldly.

“I hold no prejudice against my race. One is wrong to feel betrayed by the circumstances of their own nature, lest they betray others.” His brow curled in annoyance, not even sparing a glance back to the pony inside. “Please keep your head and hooves within the confines of the cell at all times.”

It was with that note Silver Spanner felt the conversation dwindling to a starved, struggling ember. She led herself backwards and turned around, lumbering to the center of her holding cell as she gazed past the tiny window shedding slivers of moonlight past divided bars of iron. Silver had suspected she would spend the better part of her life surrounded by metal and steel, but this appeared a rather odd outcome, a peculiar one at that. As she eased herself to her haunches and once more laid her hide to the dusty floor, a final, passing gaze washed over the guard on the outside of the cell as Silver rested her head onto her crossed hooves and mumbled into the cold air. She knew that even at such a low volume, he could still hear her.

“Hey, Ralph?” Silver began. “Believe it or not, a lot of the ponies in this town regard you with courage and respect. Not because they’re trying to be nice, but they really do think that. I mean, a bat-erm…a sarosian working in broad day light? Takes a lot of guts, and a lot of grit, too, I’ll bet. Just thought I ought’a let you know.” She shrugged and rested back to the floor.

The sarosian stood deathly still, relaying over the young unicorn’s words and allowing the memories of his home land to wash over and refresh his mind. In spite of his words spoken only mere moments ago, not a sliver of home-sickness plagued him, nor an urge to return. This was his home now, the duty he was bound to, and the loneliness he had steeled himself to endure. For reasons then he could hardly decipher, images of his mother entered his sight, the sound of her voice soft and soothing.

“My little wolf…” She had said that night. “Do not let your appearance suade your heart astray. You are beautiful within, and those with gifted eyes will undoubtedly see a blossom before them.” Ralph quietly regarded the mark upon his haunches as the memories of his mother played on and on, quietly and contently.

Meanwhile, Silver’s eyes danced about the cell room walls as she prodded at her chin, habitual schemes of an escape plan glancing through her mind once again. She paused and blinked rapidly, thinking upon her actions only moments ago. Wait a minute… She thought. If I could fit my head through those bars, does that mean my rump can fit too?

She stood to all four hooves, back facing the bars as she turned and revved herself up into reverse mode. The mare aimed her bottom between a decisive opening and pushed her buttocks against the bars, squishing, slipping and squirming about as her rotundus hindquarters proved a tad too large. Her butt slipped and squished between two openings, cheeks hugging a singular bar. Oh no… She minded depressingly. I’ve been eating too many sugar cubes again.

Meanwhile, the corner of Ralph’s vision was having the time of its life. Whatisshedoing? Whatisshedoing? Whatisshedoing? A hard, furious blush layered over the sarosian’s face, putting his deep gray coating to shame. Is this another game? Am I supposed to say something? Must be a small talk thing, but…nothing about this is small! Okay, my wings are opening up, what does that mean? He fidgeting nervously, ever so slowly gaining more and more sight of the mare’s “exposure.” Maybe I should get a closer look…j-just to make sure she isn’t doing anything she shouldn’t.

Carefully, the stallion turned and lent his gaze over the pony, both of his wings now at full staff. In that moment, the front door to the barracks swung open.

“Hoo boy~! What a night shift.” Sam cam barreling in, resting his spear to the wall. “I think I’m gonna hit the-”

The prisoner and the guard were, for lack of a better term, caught red-hoofed. Everypony present froze and locked eyes into a seemingly endless staring duel.

“Hey!” Sam burst into the room raising a hoof. “What the heck is going on here?!”

“It’s not what it looks like! It’s not what it looks like!” The duo defensively raised their hooves.

“That’s a violation of code eight-zero-one-one!” Sam declared. “Every and all parts of the body must be kept within the confines of the prisoner’s cell.”

The white pony guard marched over and effortlessly pressed his muzzle to the unicorn’s gluteus, pushing her back into the cell, the mare on the other end wordlessly and inexplicably violated in every way she could never dream nor fathom. She sat there for the better part of the night, a deeply disturbed blush painted over her face. Ralph watched as his companion stood by triumphantly and dusted his hooves as though it were a job well done, and perhaps even the only job he had done all day.

“I know how you are around mares, Ralph ol’ pal.” Sam patted the guard’s shoulder reassuringly. “But, that’s why I’m here.”

Ralph resumed his usual demeanor, huffing past the stupid look on the pony guard’s face. “Shut up, Sam.” He sneered.