Mirror: Book I - Mind

The dim, warm light of the candle flickered and danced over the pages laid across the blue-black crystalline table, inky black smudged across the parchment in illegible lines of scribbles and nonsense. The boy leaned over his work and peered closely at the papers, leafing through one page after the other in an attempt to find something that was actually readable. Alas, his frustrations stacked on as the words all but ceased to resemble anything near Ponish, or any language for that matter. He dropped his equipment and pushed his palms into his eyes, grumbling and wiping the bleariness from his sights. Was he just tired, or had somepony fallen asleep at their desk trying to copy these old records and tomes? He sighed with another mount of exhaustion, undeciding of either or, and leaned back over the papers to try once more. Alas, the papers and books, his notes and utensils, they were gone. The table laid empty before him, and he froze. There in its wake was a single, open book, a title in bold strung above the lengthy passage that followed below. Unbeknownst to him it was written in perfect English.

“The Tantabus.” He read quietly. “Marauder of Dreams, Bestower of the Nightmare.”

His fingers caressed the ends of the book, skimming across the page’s edge.

“Ancient entity of the dark world, it is said to exist within the psyche and conscious of those vulnerable to its haunting. Legend has it that should the Tantabus house enough power, it will manifest itself into the waking world, bringing about a torrent of confusion, terror, and hostility among those afflicted. Those afflicted will bear a sign, a mark…”

In that instant, the paper sliced past his finger and drew a spec of blood. The drop of scarlet landed to the table’s surface and dripped its way over the edge, channeling down into the deep, dark void that had been surrounding him from all sides. He watched as the small line of red widened and pooled into a pond, the stench of copper invading his senses. The boy looked onward, and gawked frozen at the sight before him. There laid a pony with a bow in her hair, head turned over a stone, blood trickling from her skull. In her midst was the young human cradled into a ball on the ground, mumbling incoherencies into his crossed arms.

“Hey…” He approached the human, shaking him by the shoulders. “The hell’re you doing? Pull yourself together!”

The thick of the bramble and thorns drew his attention elsewhere. The young human was there once again, amongst a mass of little equines watching from afar as he gripped a mare by the mane and screamed into her face.

“Stop!” He stumbled over, reaching out desperately. “Let go of her!”

He sped on into the plaza square at uncontrollable speeds, lying at the base of the fountain before he even knew it. As he looked up, a behemoth stone statue depicting a pony cracked and crumbled from all sides, crashing down on him with the thundering might of a rock slide. Waves of water spun and swirled all about him, threatening to swallow him whole as he felt the earth beneath his hands and knees give way, and only he and the blue-black waters remained. There was little struggle for a race to the surface as he felt an almost unbearable weight begin to drag him down by the shoulders and feet. He opened his eyes one last time, and there was a small light at the end of the soundless, black and blue tunnel. The moon? Fate had it that second chances often came in the form of miracles… And thus the light flared ever brighter, and called out the boy’s name. David reached out, and his cry was answered.

Within a split second, he surfaced and stood atop the ethereal, deep blue lake housed by shores of black sand. The waters froze instantly, a crystalline bright blue sparkling across the surface as the boy stood atop in shock and wonder. He gazed skyward to find the caster descending gracefully from the starlit heavens twinkling above. Wings sprawled and hooves raised, the Alicorn landed at the other end of the lake, gazing across the icy plane with a strict yet concerned gaze. The boy almost fell to his knees, whether from exhaustion or reverence, he could not tell.

“Princess Luna?” He shuffled across the ice. “What the heck is going on? What’re you-”

He halted and clutched his chest. The scar over his heart, it was missing.

This… He realized. This is a dream.

The Princess of the Night strode calmly across the icy surface and studied the human carefully. It had been ages, David felt, since he and her Highness had last met. Within the realm of dreams, that is. As much as he wanted to provide his well greetings, the situation had phased him so, and the Princess adorned a stern enough look to crash right through a brick wall and another. Immediately, he gained the intuition to shut up and let the pony speak.

“What troubles you so, young oneiro?” She began. “A cry greater than any before, I have sensed, has disturbed your precious, vulnerable bubble.”

The boy stood silent, subtly shaking his head.

“Does my presence cause discomfort?” Her gaze softened. “Are we not companions in the realm of dreams? Are we not friends?”

And with that he fell to his knees, palms to the cold, stinging ice. “Princess, I…” He began shakily. “Ever since I arrived here I’ve done terrible things, things that make me ashamed to be the kind of person I am, things that-” He choked. “Things that make me wish I had never been born.”

Luna gazed woefully upon the boy and his crumpled form, closing her eyes and slowly shaking her head. With a soft and humbled approach, the Princess sauntered across the frozen plane and leveled the tip of her feather beneath his chin. His eyes climbed upwards, landing upon a saddened yet warm and consoling expression. Her face fell serious once more as she spoke.

“Let it be known that the mere utter of one’s words are like that of a spell. What you speak is what you bestow.” She shook her head once more. “Do not say these things, young oneiro, lest they forestall your true strength.”

David struggled to lead a deep, understanding gaze back into the pony’s eyes before she calmly drew away and sauntered across the plane of ice, circling about once again. The boy lifted himself to his feet and watched on patiently, awaiting her words.

“You carry guilt. I feel it in your mind and see it in your eyes, the burdens of the waking world have tainted your cognition, and has manifested itself in the deep recesses of your thoughts. Do you realize what it is that you have awakened?”

The boy blinked with realization as he raised his index to his eyes and gazed upon the small, red cut stretched across his finger. “The Tantabus…” He shuddered.

“David, you must let these burdens pass.” Luna warned. “You must let go.”

“But…but how?” He searched.

“I have met many from across the stars whom have failed to absolve the toll and strife set upon their minds. I would know its curses, because I was one of those victims.” The Princess gazed back upon her flank as she strode past the boy, the sight of her cutie mark resting easily upon his eyes, and yet a shudder coiled down his spine. The Alicorn continued. “The Tantabus is a manifestation of one’s worst nightmares, set out to harm the life of the one who is burdened by it, and those they cherish most. When one fails to allow themselves reconcile, hatred and fear take hold. When hatred and fear take hold, suffering takes power. When over-encumbered by suffering, desperation takes control, and may lead one to make decisions they would have never dreamed of.” The stark black fur overflowing her flank fused with shade and shadow. “This mark is not a blessing, but a curse. The splotch of black that which you see beneath my mark is not mine…but the mark of Tantabus.”

“What does that mean then?” He asked warily. “You’re…cursed forever?”

“It would seem so.” She spoke lowly.

David closed his eyes and sighed with sorrow. “Luna, I’m sorry.” He mumbled. “I had no idea.”

“Do not bear the weight of others, for that is a path which may lead you astray.” She counseled. “When you are in doubt, seek the aid of others. When you are in turmoil, calm thy nerves and seek rest. Most of all, if one is to master the mind then one must learn to face thy fears.”

“Then I’m ready.” He took a stance. “I’m ready to face my fears, so bring them on.”

“The rapt hunter will not find his prey so easily. Patience is key, young oneiro.”

“I don’t care what it takes, just tell me where to go!” He pleaded. “Tell me what to do!”

“In time, you will find the answers.” Luna began to float away. “Have patience, David.”

“Princess, please, I’m begging you!” And the world around them wobbled and wavered.

On and on, the elegant, nightly Alicorn ascended evermore as his name was uttered time and time again. The ice beneath his feet began to crack and crumble as he feared submersion, and he sprinted for the black sands lining the shores. Alas, the grainy planes fell away into the deep, black nothing, and his figure began to fall and flail endlessly into the gaping maw of the abysmal void below. He screamed and cried and shook, cradling himself and praying for it all to end. With a final shake the boy jolted awake to his name being called once more.

“David, snap out of it!” The little dragon cried.

The boy gasped awake and looked all about the room, attempting to locate the source of the call. A little claw on his forearm and the remembrance of just how small the lizard was brought his sights downwards, desperate green eyes looking up at him with worry.

“Spike?” David blinked, looking around again. “What…what happened?”

“You were shaking and crying in your sleep.” The dragon’s tone felt broken. “I think you were having a nightmare.”

In a single breath his palm went over his chest, and the familiar itch was there. The scar had returned, the waking world now his reality once more.

His eyes fell back to the table before him as he recognized his setting, back in the castle library. The sun had been long gone by now, books and papers were strewn across the surface of his work area, not to mention a decent pool of drool caked onto the most recent text he had been researching. He damned himself for having to explain this one to Twilight afterwards. With a much calmer approach to his breath, the boy recomposed himself and looked back down to his little friend.

“I’m sorry, Spike, I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

“You didn’t really scare me, just surprised me was all.” The dragon admitted. “Twilight used to have night terrors almost constantly, especially after going on one of her big adventures.” He gripped his tail with a splint of fret. “Sometimes I worry if the others are okay.”

“Twilight’s been through a lot, hasn’t she?” David acknowledged. “She and her friends.”

“Yeah…” Spike nodded knowingly.

“I’m surprised she didn’t hear me, was I really being that loud?”

“Actually, I came to replace your candle light.” Spike pointed to the holder. “You’re getting a little low.”

“Oh, right.” David blinked and looked back to the stick in the holder, the wax having melted nearly to its base. He handed the old over to the helpful little reptile and received the new. “Thanks, buddy.”

“Don’t mention it!” The dragon perked up with a toothy grin, and made to make his exit. “If you need anything else, just let me know.”

“Hey uh, Spike?” The boy called.

The scaled shorty halted and looked over his shoulder, eyeing the boy patiently.

“I never did properly apologize to you. Y’know, for the whole thing that happened at the bar, and Rarity with her business mishap.” He shrugged indefinitely. “Never considered that you might have had feelings for her.”

“W-Who told you I’ve got feelings for Rarity?” The dragon demanded.

“I-It was just…a suspicion!” He attempted.

Spike dropped his stance and turned to address the human accordingly. His eyes grew softer and his tone lower. “Nah, you don’t have to apologize.” He began. “It was all just a stupid fiasco or whatever from the very beginning. It’s true, I’ve liked Rarity for a really long time now, but…I dunno. After everything that’s happened, it sorta feels like water under the bridge now.” The dragon sighed.

“Did you wanna…talk about it?” David offered.

Spike blinked as a torrent of realization and opportunity flooded his mind all at once. Here sat a rare chance, another male factor in his life to talk to, to interact with, maybe even connect with. Part of him wished to slap himself upside the head for not noticing the opportunity served to him on a silver platter time and time again. The other part of the little dragon was nodding with acceptance.

“Yeah, actually…” Spike hobbled over. “I would love that.”

In the midst of the shaded hallway just past the double doors, standing at the edge of the threshold just out of sight, was Twilight. She had raced as soon as she heard the boy’s cries, but her little assistant had beaten her to the rescue. The pony feared it would be a long night then, but a wave of content washed over her as she watched her boys chattering happily away into the night. With a calmed smile, Twilight turned and walked down the hall.

A great distance away from where the ponies laid, through the brush and over the cascading green hills, sitting beneath the shade of a tree was a magically talented unicorn. She sat there in the late morning air with fretful anticipation, knowing that the boy would be here any moment now. Once again, Starlight reminded herself of her objective to calm her nerves, the words repeating in her head over and over again. You can do this, Starlight. Show him the book. She repeated. Just show him the book, that’s all you gotta do. Then, Discord will give you all of the answers you’re looking for. The words settled deeply as she focused in on her mind. Show him the book, find the missing pieces to the spell…and finally, we will discover the truth.

Starlight opened her eyes and looked around in fright. That voice, where had it come from?

“Does somepony have the jitters?” A thum called next to her ear.

The unicorn jolted once again, being unable to cease her constant hopping as the draconequus’ spell of jitters encompassed her body whole.

“D-D-Disc-c-c-cord-d-d-d!” She shook all around. “Cut it out!”

Discord clicked his talons and flashed the pony onto her stomach, warm towels draped over her hindquarters as the serpent sported a stark white polo shirt, pushing his paw and elbow into the mare’s spine. “My dear Starlight, you must learn to let go of all of this stress.” He extenuated. “This is a team effort, after all. Try to act calm for both our sake’s.”

“In case you didn’t notice, this is my way of relieving all of my stress.”

“I charge fifty per session.” Discord pushed.

“I meant my plan, not your little grooming getup.” She growled with irritation. “Now, paws off!”

The serpent slithered out of his shirt and quickly swept the tables and towels away, wiping his paws clean of the stressful sweat the unicorn had been building up ever since climbing the small hill which the tree stood upon, awkwardly awaiting the boy’s arrival the whole while. Discord slithered around to the pony’s front and swiped a talon across her muzzle.

“Don’t forget, we’re in on this together. It may be your plan, but it will ultimately lead to my benefit and my benefit alone.” The serpent grinned knowingly. “You understand what I am telling you, I hope?”

“No pain, no gain.” Starlight uttered as though routinely. “If I don’t sacrifice anything, I won’t get anything in return. Simple as.”

“You still misunderstand.” The draconequus educated. “When all of this is said and done for, you won’t be getting anything in return. Know that this is the path you have chosen.”

“Trust me.” Starlight delivered a cocky grin. “I know what I’m doing.”

Discord was prepared to return an equally devilish smile, but his face laid stiff and serious at the pure bliss the mare seemed to practice. Was she truly aware of the fate that which the beast esteemed her to be set upon, or was she stupider than he had first taken her for? Perhaps she aimed to put on a brave face no matter what the consequences, for she knew deep in her heart that she wouldn’t be satisfied until she got the answers she so desired.

“Then I believe it’s time to put on a show.” The serpent slithered away. “Our guest has arrived.”

“Huh?” Starlight quickly spun around, noticing a familiar figure rising up on the horizon.

Discord was no longer anywhere to be seen, and the boy was but a mere trot and a skip away, his hand waving above for the unicorn to see as he made his climb up the hill and to the tree. Before he could utter any greeting, the draconequus returned with a droop off the lowest branch of the great oak next to them. The beast coiled down to the earth with a withered defeat, rising up from his pool with a bear paw and an eagle’s claw clasped together in a plead for mercy.

“B-B-But, I hadn’t known I was doing anything wrong!” The serpent groveled and pleaded. “Please oh please, Master Starlight, won’t you look the other way on this one?”

Starlight blinked back with a hint of disbelief, the human doing the same as he stepped back and wondered quietly upon the scene he had just stumbled upon. The unicorn recomposed herself and cleared her throat. This was all part of the plan.

“You should have known that rummaging around places you ought not to would do you no good, nor for anypony for that matter.” Starlight shook her head, slowly and stiffly. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Discord.

“Please, Master, Discord will turn over a new leaf.” The beast now wore a bag over his body, pointed pale ears and a long nose. “From now on, Discord will be good. Discord will obey.”

“Prove to me that you will not go against your word.” Starlight stricted.

“We swears.” Only a loin cloth remained, his body pale and gaunt. “We swears on the precious. Yes, we swears on the precious book, that we will not disobey Master.”

“Good, then you will leave the book to me.” Starlight fidgeted, if only slightly, and cleared her throat once more. “I’m sure you don’t want Princess Twilight to hear about this, so you better scram.”

Finally, Discord grew into a hunchback and passed a worried glance to the boy behind him. He gave the pony one last look and a wink before clamoring up the trunk of the tree, disappearing into the branches and leaves. A short second later, the sound of a bell filled the stagnant air.

“Um, okay?” David strode awkwardly, nearing the unicorn. “Hey, Starlight.”

“Hey, glad you could make it-”

“What was that all about?” He scratched his head.

“Funny you should mention that.” The unicorn chuckled nervously. “He was just snooping around where he wasn’t supposed to.”

“Oh yeah, why doesn’t that surprise me?” The boy drawled.

“And get this?” She started. “Apparently he had been stealing books and artifacts from the Everfree ruins and changing them to make ponies think they stumbled across something amazing, or something worth selling a fortune for. Whelp, turns out it was all just a hoax, and I caught him red-hoofed! Well, caught him red-clawed I guess, but you get the idea. Right?”

“Right…” David stared on, perplexed. “So, is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“Don’t you get it, ya’ big dummy?” Starlight laughed again. “We don’t need that silly old book anymore. It was a hoax.”

“What ‘silly old book?’” The boy wondered.

“Erm…”

“Starlight, we didn’t find anything in the Everfree ruins. Except for that spear, of course.” The boy reminded. “Unless you mean to tell me…”

The pony felt her hooves take a cautious step or two back as she leveled herself on whether or not she should bolt for the hills and leave the conversation in the dust. Then again, she could just teleport her way out of there, but the boy would still be left in a state of suspicion. Brainwashing was the very next option to enter her mind, if only Twilight wouldn’t ask her later that night as to why David was trying to eat his dinner with the fork held backwards. Inevitably, there was no way out of it now, there was no running from this one, and the unicorn realized she had cornered herself. With a momentarily glance, her sights traveled up the trunk of her favorite tree, the one she would always lay beneath on a warm summer’s day, studying to her heart’s content. There her insignia remained, carved into the bark, now old and scratched as it wore its age. She blinked hard and released a defeated sigh.

“I have something to confess.” She said. “I have been keeping something from you, and you ought to know about it by now. I only did this because I thought it would be for the best.”

The boy blinked with wonder and crouched to the pony’s level, deeply searching her gaze.

The unicorn bit her tongue and flared her horn to life. “Well…here it is.” Wrapping her magic around the mysterious, red tome resting inside of her saddle bag, Starlight pulled the book forward and revealed it to the human.

There was a long, silent pause. And then, laughter.

“Oh!” The boy slapped his palm over his head. “So that’s where it got off to?”

“Huh?”

“Thank you, Starlight, I’ve been looking all over for this.”

Quickly, the unicorn returned her sights and stared dumbfounded upon the tome before her. The red leather book had all but disappeared, replaced with a small, brown journal. It was David’s journal, the one gifted to him at the library. Starlight shook her head and blinked in disbelief, but thought better than to try and correct him now. What was done was done.

“I know I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself for losing this, and Twilight woulda’ given me a night’s worth of lecturing to boot.” He chuckled and ruffled her mane. “Thanks for the help, my little St. Anthony.”

“Uh…y-yeah.” Starlight waved. “Don’t mention it.”

The unicorn beamed and waved on as the boy gathered his belongings and trekked back down the trail, giving a final farewell as his figure shrunk beneath the horizon and into the thick of Ponyville. Starlight grimaced and slitted her sights at the mere spike of a familiar presence behind her. She twisted around, eyes fierce and muzzle snorting. The draconequus hung but a mere inch or two away, peering deeply into her soul.

“Dodged a bullet, did we?” Discord chortled.

“Explaining. Now.” She demanded.

“What more have I to get through to you?” He shrugged innocently. “It looks like you got the answers you were looking for, did you not?”

“Well, yes. I mean, no. I mean-!” She growled and stomped about. “What the heck was the point of all of this? Why did you switch the books last second?”

“The better question is, why didn’t you?” Discord pointed.

“Because…I-It’s because…”

“Because you were going to tell him the truth after all?” The serpent smooshed his face between his limbs in an exaggerated squeal. “Could it be that this too was a part of your master plan?”

“Don’t you get all big on me, buddy.”

“Congratulations, Starlight Glimmer, you have passed!” Discount confetti and dollar store noise makers whirled all about, a rather half-assed applause struggling to sound off in the background. “It seems that you have what it takes to put the needs of your friends first. But to what ends, I wonder? Will we ever discover the true intent of this young sorceress, destined to gather the pieces to her puzzle, and finally put a rest to her life-long quest? Find out next time on-”

“You still didn’t answer my question.” Starlight reminded.

“In the middle of my outro? How rude…” The beast grumbled.

“Why did you switch the books?”

Discord delivered the mare a peculiar gaze, one which obviously spelt that he wasn’t prepared to give a straight answer. “A spur of intuition? A last minute decision? Who knows?” He played. “Rest assured, the boy has no knowledge of our secret little book, and it ought to be kept that way. Don’t forget, our hero already knows what this book is and what it’s supposed to be all about. The only matter is, when the boy discovers that such a text exists here, in Equestria, is not when our world will be flipped upside down, but rather his.”

Starlight stood motionless and took the beast’s telling as carefully and thoughtfully as she could manage. If no manner of change would come to the ponies through researching the book alone, then what would David’s discovery upon the book mean for the fate of Equestria? Change, as the unicorn knew, could only go in two different ways.

Discord twirled skyward and prepared to flash. “Tata, for now-”

“Hey, wait!” The pony chased after. “What about our deal?”

“You will get your reward.” The serpent promised. “In due time, in due time…”

His thum echoed on as he trailed away into the sky, leaving the unicorn in her lonesome beneath the tree. She trotted back over to the base of the great oak and slumped to earth, back resting to the bark. The pony sat there for a while longer more, resting quietly and calming her nerves, eyes closed as the breeze blew past…and yet another presence descended upon her. She opened her eyes, and there laying in the grass before her, was a single apple. Starlight peered upwards, finding no other apples in the branches of the tree to accompany their fallen ally below. The unicorn looked back down, and the apple was gone.