What happened to her life? Why was her's the one to be sent in a descending spiral? The simple fact that it wasn't her fault ate her up inside. But what was to she say? Beg and whine like any other poor sap that was arrested? Please, she was above that. But, when you feel as if pride fails you, you feel like you've been denied the one thing most ponies are sure of. Themselves.
"How are the seats back there?" The police officer said, trying to start a conversation.
"Hot as the sun, ever hear of open windows?" Mirror said back with a snap.
"I have, we just don't take requests." The officer said, not liking Mirror's tone of voice.
"You have any reasons why you wanted to be a cop?" Mirror said with a usual cockiness to it.
"Felt like picking up dirt bags off of their little joy ride," The cop began, "And most of the time I get paid for doing nothing."
"I used to be a flight instructor, before the incident." Mirror croaked.
"What happened that caused that?" The officer turned around to look at Mirror.
"My ex-husband slept with another mare, womanizing bastard if you ask me." Mirror's teeth scraping together making out the words.
"At least you're not like most," The officer said. "Most are screaming they didn't do it by now."
Mirror just continued to stare out the side of the chariot windows, emotionless. She looked forward, then back towards the window. She continued this two step cycle for what seemed like an eternity. Mirror kept thinking of how she mauled that mare, the bloodied wounds on her face. Mirror closed her eyes and all she could see was that painful expression.
"Wanna here my take on this?" The officer asked.
"Do I have a choice?" Mirror asked.
"I think you married the wrong stallion." The officer said ever so carefully.
"Or maybe he was wrong in marrying anypony." Mirror snaps back.
"You're just being-" The officer began.
Mirror saw some kind of pony in the middle of the skyway. "Look out!" Mirror shouted.
The chariot was spiraling out of control, into a nearby forest. Mirror was hoofcuffed in the back seat, unable to correct the trajectory. Mirror closed her eyes, looked up to the sun.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm skipping today's sentence." Mirror said like these were her last moments.
Mirror was knocked out from the force of the crash. She was barely breathing, with blood streaming down her side and down her leg. Mirror's eyes were closed, out of force. She didn't want to wake up.
Mirror was finally forced awake by a sharp pain coming from her wing and right hind leg.
"Holy sweet Celestia this just sucks." Mirror murmured realizing the situation she was in.
She was trapped in hoofcuffs and trapped in a car with a bloody wing and a wounded hind leg. She slowly started crawling towards the nearly broken window. She started to kick it with all the strength she had left. Mirror had started to lose all hope of escape. Then, after what must have been at least 20 kicks later, she broke the window.
"Thank you, thank you." Mirror repeated over and over.
Mirror saw the dead officer, inspecting her surroundings for a second. He must have the keys to these forsaken hoofcuffs. Mirror thought. Mirror slowly approached the officer. As soon as Mirror saw the keys, she picked them up and unlocked her front hooves from captivity.
"Officer?" Mirror questioned as soon as she heard a groaning noise.
The deceased officer had grabbed her hind leg, causing Mirror to fall over. Mirror had started looking around for a weapon. She looked in a panic until she reached next to her, noticing a shotgun. The shotgun had one shell in it. Mirror didn't hesitate. She shot the officer and watched as part of his head flew off of him.
"What in the name of all things sweet and sour?" Mirror whispered, in a state of shock.
Then she heard more groans coming from all around her. Mirror was limping towards the nearest home. She limped through the woods avoiding the creatures that were trying to grab her. Mirror had finally reached the nearby home, but it had a fence and she was never great at climbing things, plus with her decreased mobility it seemed almost impossible.
"Come on, you can do this." Mirror whispered doubtfully.
Mirror sprinted and hopped over the fence, landing on top stomach first. As she struggled to get over the other part of the fence, a creature grabbed her right hind leg.
"Get the hell off of me!" Mirror screamed as she kicked the creature away.
She hurdled over the fence and lied down for a rather long time.
When she finally got up, she realized that the house had a sliding glass door. Mirror's hind leg was lagging behind as she trotted towards the house.
"I'm coming in," Mirror screamed. "Don't shoot ok?"
Mirror opened the glass door and looked around to see the place had been massacred. Mirror's expression had turned frightful as she saw the blood all over the walls. She trudged into the kitchen where she saw a coloring book next to a pool of blood.
"Oh shit, there's a filly involved in this?" Mirror said close to sobbing.
All of a sudden, another one of those creatures had appeared behind her. Mirror had started to run, but slipped on a pool of blood trying to make it to the door. The creature was on top of Mirror, ready to bite her. Then, when Mirror lost all hope of survival, a little filly appeared behind her with a hammer.
"Give me the hammer!" Mirror screamed in a panic.
The filly had dropped the hammer next to Mirror's head. Mirror took the hammer and started striking the creature in the head. First time, the creature barely flinched. Second time, the creature was starting to show some sign of it getting weaker. Third time, the creature had finally stopped moving. It's head had been bashed inside out.
"Holy fuck..." Mirror stared at the creatures body.
The creatures brains had been spread across the floor, flowing with the seemingly endless pool of blood next to it. Mirror stared at the creature in disbelief.
"These look like what I imagined to be zombies from the stories pops used to tell." Mirror stared some more until the filly walked up to Mirror and stared with her.
"Is it dead?" The filly finally asked.
"I hope so." Mirror said, obviously still phased by what had just happened.
"Who are you?" The filly asked.
"Mirror, Mirror Shine," Mirror said sadly, "who are you?"
"Scootaloo." She replied.
"We need to get out of here, Scootaloo." Mirror said grabbing what was left from the fridge.
"I can't," Scootaloo said. "My parents will be waiting for me if I leave."
Mirror looked at Scootaloo and started to cry. She wanted for her parents to be back too. Too bad she's the one that caused the heart attack for them. Mirror looked at the picture of Scootaloo's family. Mirror shook her head.
"What's wrong Mirror?" Scootaloo asked.
"Nothing, we just need to get out of here." Mirror had stopped her tears long enough to get those words out.
Mirror started to walk out the door, but then looked back on what happened. A poor filly was involved in this mess. How messed up does the world have to be in order to put a filly, probably no more than seven, in this crap?
"Listen, we need to go now," Mirror shouted. "Otherwise we won't be able to make it out of here."
"But, my parents..." Scootaloo began to weep.
"Listen, I'll bring you back as soon as this is over, sound alright?" Mirror tried to sound sincere.
"Okay." Scootaloo was still weeping though.
"We need to travel right now, while the sun is still out." Mirror squatted to look Scootaloo in the eyes.
"Can I go get my walkie-talkie?" Scootaloo asked.
"Sure, grab whatever you need." Mirror started walking around the house looking around to see what she could take that would be useful.
They trotted outside, looking around to see an average back yard. That meaning they had a small tree house, a small shed, and a single lawnmower. The fence to the front yard was beside the shed. Mirror looked ahead to see two ponies, a mare and a stallion, pushing a chariot in the middle of a road.
(Part 2: The Escape)
"Oh crap," The one stallion screamed. "Don't eat us!"
"We're not one of them, were just trying to survive this mess." Mirror started to scream back.
The ponies gave Mirror and Scootaloo a suspicious glare, but the almost eternal silence was broken by the mare of the group.
"Who are you, I mean related to the girl?"
"I'm just..." Mirror had started calculated all of the outcomes. "I'm just somepony who was running away from those creatures."
"I'm not comfortable knowing that your just somepony." The stallion blurted.
"You never know, I could be Luna in a simple costume." Mirror stared coldly at the two.
When Mirror was done staring at them, she realized more of those zombies were coming. She hurried and started pushing the chariot away from the impending doom heading towards them. When the two ponies started to help, Scootaloo had tripped over a crack in the road.
"Mirror, help!" Scootaloo screeched from behind her.
Mirror looked behind her to see Scootaloo had tripped and zombies were all around the young filly. Mirror had started limping in an effort to get to her, the zombies were creeping closer and closer. Mirror, without thinking, flopped on top of Scootaloo trying to protect her.
"I'm not going to let anything hurt you." Mirror said, clinching Scootaloo closer to her.
Just when Mirror thought this was the end, a deep, menacing sound of a shotgun being shot gave Mirror a hope, a dream of escaping this nightmare with no permanent internal damage.
"Scootaloo, get up and run to the truck." Mirror commanded.
Scootaloo had gotten up and had started sprinting towards towards the truck. Mirror was standing, but barely. She knew what was going to happen. She would have to try and protect Scootaloo as long as she could, she would never leave Scootaloo's side.
"You guys get the chariot moving," Mirror shouted. "I'll try my best to hold them off."
"We're not leaving you." The stallion grunted.
Mirror had turned around, a zombie was in her face. Mirror ducked and the mare had put a shell between the zombies eyes. Mirror had limped over to the chariot and pushed as the mare protected them from the zombies. Mirror had made sure Scootaloo was inside the chariot, in case it had an early liftoff.
"Hold on, Scootaloo!" Mirror screamed.
When Mirror had pushed it to a start she jumped in and took the reigns. She looked back at the two ponies behind her, fighting off the hoard of the undead.
"Just go, we'll be fine!" The mare screamed.
"Listen to me, you're getting in this chariot," Mirror screamed back. "Whether you want to be noble or not."
Mirror hopped out of the chariot and grabbed each one of them and directed them towards the red chariot. Mirror took the shotgun from the mares hand. Mirror was waiting for the right moment.
"Get in!" The stallion was starting to panic.
"One second." Mirror said, a steely look in her magenta eyes.
Mirror had saw a grill in the middle of the road. If there was a grill, it likely had propane inside. The rest was elementary. Mirror waited for the zombies to get within a certain distance away from the grill, and then boarded the chariot. Mirror started breathing slowly.
Mirror had shot the slug. A simple hissing sound followed.
"Get us out of here!" Mirror shouted over the increasing loud hissing.
(Part 3: The Memories)
The ponies didn't need a jump start, they had the thing ready when Mirror was taking the time to aim. The red chariot had kicked to life, taking off into the grey skies. Mirror grinned as she heard the satisfying sound of the explosion she caused.
"Was the explosion really necessary?" The mare asked, holding her ears.
"It made my self-esteem go up." Mirror said sarcastically.
Scootaloo looked up at Mirror, who had a scratch on her face. Mirror had noticed it, too. She was too proud to say that it stung. Mirror was once again in a vehicle she didn't like. She loved flying over the other ponies, pretending they were ants was her favorite game as a filly. Remembering herself as a filly was hard for her.
Mirror was constantly being dragged back to her past. Forced to relive every grueling memory of when she was a very young filly. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was her brother. Mi hermano... All she ever thought about for months after her brothers death, was how she thought she killed him. All they were doing was playing, being kids.
But that was before he fell.
Mirror was a pegasus, but her brother was an earth pony. They were running across the rooftops, just doing what they could to have fun on those roofs. Mirror would fly around in the cold winter sky, while her brother just kept trying to hit her with a snowball. They would go on like this for hours in the winter. In the spring, they would play around the park near their parents drug store.
Their parents would always keep telling them not to hit the "R" in the word "Canterlot" because that letter was close to slipping for years. In the summer, they had sports. Mirror had her extreme acrobatics, her brother had simpler not so physically demanding sports. All was happy in the Shine household. Until her brother fell.
It was a freezing day, a cold of which only legends of stallions with black hearts could possibly know. Yet Mirror simply put on a jacket, and grabbed her ice pick that she used for climbing and went off. Her brother, though loved to be outside, thought that they would freeze during this frost-bitten time. Mirror had ignored her older brothers every word and kept walking towards the fire escape.
Mirror had climbed up the frozen steps, each one wanting to make her slip. She didn't mind though, she just kept trudging along the stairs. Mirror had heard her mother call her down out of fear she may get sick. Mirror was constantly given lectures about how not to be outside, it was unladylike to be jumping around on rooftops in the freezing cold. Mother cared, but she worried about the stupidest things.
Mirror stopped as she heard her brother come up. She turned around and then started to spread her wings, which were being protected by not going next to the steel stairs. Her brother jumped and grabbed onto her hind legs, wanting to get her on the ground. Mirror started to fall downwards in a perfect circle. Each time she tried to pull up, her brothers grip got looser. Mirror's only thought was to escape the grip of her brother.
Her brother had been holding on, not because he wanted to get his sister down, because if he let go he would drop into a dark alley and probably die from the force of the decent. Mirror kept shaking, each shake knocking him a little lower.
Until he was knocked off by a railing of the stairs.
Mirror heard his scream for help and started to fly downwards to try and save her brother from severe injury. It wasn't meant to be. The only memory Mirror had of her brother, was his tombstone, and his terrified face.
Here lies Shoe Shine: 2000-2013. That's what the tombstone read, the memory of a colt named Shoe Shine slowly faded away from everypony. Everypony but Mirror.
(Part 4: The Farm)
"Mirror!" Mirror was hearing Scootaloo's voice.
Mirror opened her eyes and saw they were on the land of a farmer. The one land you never want to invade or try and steal.
"There you are Sleeping Beauty." The mare said to Mirror.
"Where are we?" Mirror knew this was a silly question. They were probably at the families farm.
"My deceased friends farm." The mare turned and flashed Mirror an angry look.
Mirror's expression slowly changed as she realized that if the mare had lost a friend, that means she must've been in the city for an extensive amount of time.
"How long were you in that city?" Mirror had to make sure they were there to prove her theory.
"About three weeks." The stallion shouted while heading towards the white building in the center.
That's about when she heard rumors about zombies in her flight class.
"Was your friend with you?" Mirror leaned towards the mare with anticipation.
"Yeah, he was," The mare began. "Died about two weeks after we got there."
Mirror suddenly noticed the painful look on the mare's face. Mirror got up out of the back seat of the chariot and started trotting towards the house. Mirror had started to investigate her surroundings, noticing a barn, the small white house, and a sort of shed.
"I don't believe I got your name." Mirror looked behind her.
"Just call me Applejack." Applejack slowly turned around to face Mirror.
"My name's Mirror Shine." Mirror had started walking towards Applejack.
"I know, I heard the little filly call you that." Applejack said honestly.
"Who's your friend?" Mirror asked.
"His name's Braeburn," Applejack whispered. "He's my cousin."
Mirror was starting the remember the pain from her leg and wings, and promptly went to the house to sit down on the porch. Applejack had noticed the wounds before, but know she had somepony who knew how to heal those injuries. Applejack ran inside to grab something.
"Hi Mirror." Scootaloo whimpered.
"Hey Scoots." Mirror had already come up with a nickname.
"Are you okay?" Scootaloo was obviously concerned with Mirror's health.
"It hurts, but I will be fine." Mirror wanted to try and protect Scootaloo from worry.
Applejack had come rushing out with a large red stallion, equipped with a first aid kit and disinfectant.
"This is my big brother, Big Macintosh." Applejack tried to introduce them to each other, but ultimately it ended up making things even more tense for Scootaloo.
Scootaloo looked at the first aid kit and started to worry about Mirror.
"Honey, why don't you go play with the cows?" Applejack had lightly shoved Scootaloo off of the porch.
Mirror looked at Big Mac and was slowly starting to be ready for anything from the built stallion. But, instead of saying anything, he just went right to work on the wound.
"You screwed yourself up something fierce." Big Mac said.
"No shit, Sherlock." Mirror winced as Big Mac put some disinfectant on the wound on her leg.
"How did this happen?" Big Mac said, angry from Mirror's last comment.
"Chariot crash." Mirror winced again.
They were both quiet, except for the constant wince of pain from Mirror. Mirror looked over at Scoots, playing with Applejack. Mirror just stared at Scootaloo, watching her movements, how she acted. Mirror was turning into a nosey parent figure.
"Do you know that filly?" Big Mac questioned.
"Not until recently." Mirror responded.
"Have you been protecting her?" Big Mac asked.
"I've been trying." Mirror said sadly.
Scootaloo's parents were probably dead. Mirror thought. Mirror chose to run away after her brothers death, but Scoots, she didn't make a choice. They just left a little filly behind. It pissed Mirror off. Mirror was the one taking responsibility for Scoots, not Scoots' real parents. But, could Mirror really blame the parents? They might've had to go on a business trip to stay financially secure and assure Scootaloo would have an amazing childhood.
BIg Mac had finished sewing up the wounds. Mirror was still feeling like she couldn't really do anything she wanted to do, like flying.
"It may sting for a little while, but it will heal." Big Mac said and walked back into the house.
"Sorry about him, he's just been like that ever since Granny Smith died." Applejack said.
"Where can we stay for the night?" Mirror asked, suddenly feeling very tired.
"You can stay with the other group, in the barn." Applejack said.
Mirror didn't even stop to say thanks. She just picked up Scootaloo and walked towards the barn. Once they got inside the barn, Mirror set up a pile of hay for herself and a makeshift bedroll made out of bits of cloth she found in the barn for Scootaloo. Mirror laid down on the hay, her eyes slowly closing.
"Mirror, it smells like...." Scootaloo started.
"Manure." Mirror wanted to make sure she didn't say shit.
"What's manure?" Scootaloo asked.
"Poop." Mirror responded.
After that, silence. A sacred silence. A wonderful, blissful, silence.
(Part 5: Meeting Ponies)
Mirror woke up the way she normally woke up; groggy. Every time she woke up, she was just simply stupidly tired. But every morning she still forced herself out of bed and did what she had to do for that day. Scootaloo was already up and playing in the yard. Mirror was just walking out of the barn into the intense sunlight, blinding her.
"Looks like Celestia decided to bring us something today." Mirror yawned.
Mirror saw Scoots playing with another filly, both seemed to be already acquainted. There were two other ponies, but they were full grown mares. Mirror walked towards the two new mares, wanting to maybe introduce herself. As soon as she was in the line of sight of the pink one, she was jumping up and down towards her. Mirror had to sidestep to avoid getting trampled.
"Hi!" The pink pony said.
"Ummm, hello." Mirror was confused at the ponies upbeat behavior, considering they were in an apocalypse.
"My name's Pinkie Pie! What's yours?" Pinkie Pie was bouncing up and down.
"Mirror Shine." Mirror said.
"Nice to meet you!" Pinkie held out her hoof.
"The same to you." Mirror shook the outstretched hoof.
Mirror never loved the happy go lucky types. They just seemed unnatural to her, how they always tried to remain upbeat no matter what tragic thing had just happened. That's why she loved her brother. He was down to earth and always took a situation for what it was, not playing life like a game. Mirror looked over at the yellow mare, tending to what seemed like a very small bird.
"That's Fluttershy." Pinkie said.
"Let me guess, she's very kind and caring, but refuses to be out in public for very long." Mirror was inferring from the name.
"How did you know?" Pinkie seemed to be stunned.
"I'm magical." Mirror murmured, annoyed.
"I don't see a horn." Pinkie was oblivious to the joke.
"Never mind." Mirror walked off.
Mirror saw Scootaloo talking to the white unicorn filly, they seemed to be mostly interested in what was around them, a broken tree, a tractor, and maybe a few boards lying around. She saw Applejack working with the wood, trying to possibly upgrade the integrity of the fence.
"Hey Mirror," Applejack screamed from the fence. "Would you mind helping me with the fence?"
"Whatever keeps that little filly over there safe." Mirror said while walking over to Applejack.
Mirror looked at Applejack, she seemed to be the type that was almost never inside, and when she was, it was because she needed some sleep. Mirror was never like that. She was the type that would stay inside all day if she could.
"Hey, would you hand me that board?" Applejack grunted, pounding another nail into place.
Mirror handed Applejack the board. Mirror thought back to the police officer, how his brain flew to the other direction of her. She remembered the chunk missing from his head. The fact that she caused that made her sick to her stomach.
"Next board." Applejack said.
Mirror handed Applejack the next board. Mirror had remembered someone telling her that a pegasus being able to shoot was rare, and she was one of the few pegasi that could accomplish this. Mirror had grown up in a city, she needed to defend herself. She wasn't planning on carrying a giant stick to the fight.
"Last board."
Mirror handed Applejack the final board.
"Mirror, come play with us!" Scootaloo shouted from across the farm.
"In a minute."
"You can go ahead, sugar cube," Applejack said. "That's all I needed."
Mirror walked towards the yellow-bodied, pink maned pegasus. She was tending to a goat calf.
"Hello." Mirror said.
Fluttershy jumped. "Umm.... hi."
"So what's the relation between you and Pinkie?" Mirror was wondering.
"We're best friends." Fluttershy was quiet, but you did you expect?
Mirror was too embarrassed to state what she thought, so she simply moved on to the next thing she had to do. What Mirror had to do next was hang out with Scootaloo for awhile, at least until something interesting happened around the farm.
"Mirror, can I speak with you for a second?" Big Mac said from the barn behind me.
Mirror walked over towards the huge, red barn.
"Listen, I know your a city type," Big Mac started. "Always trying to keep secrets and everything else from others."
"Are you implying I'm a fucking liar?" Mirror said impatiently.
"Not at all, I'm just trying to teach you a lesson." Big Mac sighed.
"And this lesson is?" Mirror was suddenly intrigued.
"You have to learn to trust others around you with your secrets, otherwise, they might never be on your side."
"Thanks for the tip." Mirror said.
Then, Mirror heard a pony scream in peril from just outside the barn. Mirror rushed outside to see both Applejack and Sweetie Belle being pulled into a hoard of the undead.
Mirror froze up.
Shit shit shit shit shit Mirror had a million thoughts all running amuck in her normally quick-witted mind. Her first thought was to grab the child and then try to get Applejack if she had time. So that's what she did. She sprinted towards to fence and shoved the zombies that were near the child away, set her down and got on the tractor that was occupying the space on Applejack's hind leg. Mirror quickly put the tractor in reverse and ignored Applejack's screams of pain as she drove off her leg. Mirror had gotten the tractor off of Applejack and dragged her away from the almost broken fence.
