She knew she was beautiful. When she looked into the clear, reflective glass of the ornate mirror, she saw it. Lustrous curls of dark hair pooled at her feet like skeins of silk threads. Dark lashes cast shadows over glimmering golden eyes. Her bare neck revealed the alabaster smoothness that seemed to shimmer in diffused candlelight of the many chandeliers. Around her, the night crept in like black ink, spilling over the furniture and obscuring all detail. She alone provided illumination.
The glass pendants on one fixture swayed suddenly, clinking together like chimes. Her golden eyes widened, and she turned towards the darkness.
A soft noise... footsteps...
Something else was there. Someone else was there. Who? Who could have entered her realm—invaded her sanctuary?
The golden eyes narrowed as she focused on the sound. She could feel it burning within her—the rage. How dare they! This palace belonged to her and her alone. She had invited no-one. After all, she didn't need them. She didn't need any of them! She was fine alone—she wanted her solitude. No one was admitted into her presence. No one was welcome to watch her, to see her glamor slowly fade and decay as the years passed.
Her eyes widened as a figure stepped into the light. First a ruffle of white dress that fluttered around a petite slipper. Then a ringlet of pink. The golden crescent on the girl's forehead blazed like gold as she stepped forward. Large ruby eyes gazed up curiously at the woman, but then the girl's expression relaxed and she smiled sweetly. The child seemed to glow with her own light, independent of the candles.
The raven-haired woman trembled. She could feel her breath catch in her chest and her heartbeat pulsating in her veins and echoing in her ears. The golden eyes seemed to shine with increased intensity as she stared at the little princess before her, her stare fixated on the crescent mark. The golden moon, the white dress, the golden embroidery, the pearls... She had seen this all before, so many years ago. That little voice whispered in her ear:
"She's ...beautiful."
With a glass-shattering shriek, the beast ripped forth. Tattering the onyx velvet and ivory silk that was once a luxurious gown, it lunged towards the girl. Wrinkled, mottled flesh dripped from the deformed, twisted skeleton. The irises of the bulging eyes were merely pinpoints, blazing red with fury and jealousy. Warped and bony claws swung forward, snatching at the layers of white silk and chiffon, sending threads flying as they tore and shredded the fabric.
The girl fell back before the hands could grab her shoulders, before the talon-tipped spindle-like fingers could dig into the soft unblemished skin. The candy-coloured pigtails temporarily obscured her vision as she scrambled back from the monster, mouth open in shock. Still it pressed forward, neck extending further and further, as if the spine were separate and infinite. The wide-eyed skull seemed to snake along the floor, crazed and wild, as the body's arms pin-wheeled frantically to slash at anything.
She tried to rise and slipped on the torn hem of her dress, collapsing against the cold marble tile. The hideous creature advanced; she screamed and covered her eyes.
A brilliant beam of light flared in the room.
The monster halted, distracted, as a soft whinny echoed. From the light emerged a dazzling milky horse. He tossed his head, sending snowy waves of hair rippling through his mane and tail. Two feathery wings extended around his form, and on his head gleamed a brilliant ruby and glittering golden horn. The eyes that turned toward the creature were stern.
The girl stood slowly, unsteadily, and reached towards the figure, which gracefully dove to meet her outstretched hand. When the two touched, the light blinded once again, and every mirror and every candle exploded in a shower of glass and light. With that, the Pegasus and the maiden disappeared.
Alone in the dark, the woman cradled her knees to chest and sobbed, clutching the mirror fragments to her chest.